PBA semis underway

WITH Barangay Ginebra and Purefoods pulling through in their rugged quarterfinal showdowns last Sunday, the stage is set for the KFC PBA Philippine Cup semifinal phase beginning Wednesday at Araneta Coliseum.

Kicking off the conference's semifinal stage will be the game between Ginebra and Alaska at 5 p.m. Purefoods and San Miguel Beer then take the floor at 7:30 p.m. for the first game of their own best-of-seven semis war.

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The Aces and the Beermen gained automatic semifinals berths following their impressive run in the eliminations, while the Gin Kings and the Giants needed to survive a hard-fougth quarterfinal series of their own to advance.

The Kings eliminated Talk 'N Text in a series that saw them losing the first two games but only to take the next three matches for a 3-2 count. What added drama to the matchup was the Tropang Texters' decision to walk out of Game 4 due to perceived spotty officiating.

High-flying JC Intal led the Kings' assault in the rubber match with a career-high 28 points. Ronald Tubid backed him up with 16.

The Giants also scored a similar 3-2 series win over the Elasto Painters, capping their triumphant campaign with a victory Sunday in Game 5. (CRAM)