Ginebra beats San Miguel 104-95 in quarterfinal opener
Jordan Murphy recorded 29 points and 11 rebounds as Ginebra held San Miguel below its elimination-round scoring average of 121.4 points.
Barangay Ginebra took the opening game of its best-of-five PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup quarterfinal against San Miguel, winning 104-95 at Smart Araneta Coliseum on October 27.
Murphy added four blocks and two assists to his 29 points and 11 rebounds. Scottie Thompson contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while RJ Abarrientos supplied 16 points and six assists. Isaac Go scored 14 points.
Ginebra entered the fourth quarter ahead 76-70 before Murphy, Ralph Cu and Troy Rosario drove an 18-4 burst. That stretch pushed the lead to 94-74, Ginebra's largest advantage of the game.
San Miguel responded with seven unanswered points, with Don Trollano hitting a three-pointer to make it 94-81. Murphy later scored on a putback for a 100-84 lead. A closing 11-4 surge by the Beermen included a Trollano four-point shot but was not enough to overturn the deficit.
Ginebra deputy coach Richard Del Rosario said the team had focused on outworking San Miguel, limiting the scoring and rotating defenders against June Mar Fajardo.
Fajardo finished with three points across 36 minutes. George King scored 20 points after averaging 33.67 during the regular season.
