SCOTTIE Thompson came up with a career-best performance to lead Barangay Ginebra to a 105-91 victory over San Miguel Beer Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The win leveled their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal duel at two games apiece, turning it into a best-of-three affair.
Thompson recorded his first-ever 30-point game, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 11th career-triple double. He sparked a decisive 33-16 fourth-quarter surge by the Gin Kings that overwhelmed the defending champions.
Japeth Aguilar, Norbert Torres and Jayson David also had their moments as Ginebra cut short SMB’s two-game winning streak in the series.
However, it was Thompson who clearly set the tone, helping the Gin Kings battle back from an early 16-point hole and single-handedly unleashing a 7-0 burst that put them firmly in control, 91-83.
“I didn’t even know that Scottie was putting up that kind of numbers. We were just trying to figure out a way to win. It was a quiet triple-double in my mind,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone of his star guard who became the first local player to put up a 30-point triple-double in 36 years.
“Maybe the fans knew what was going on, but I didn’t. He was clearly all over the court and we moved the ball so much better today [and] made the defense work,” added Cone.
Thompson’s dimes and David’s seven helped the Gin Kings rack up a total of 34 assists. “We had 30-plus assists tonight and when we can make 30-plus assists that’s when we’re really at our best,” he said.
Cjay Perez scored 22 points, Chris Ross had 20 and Jericho Cruz added 15 for SMB, which sorely missed additional scoring from June Mar Fajardo, who grabbed 20 rebounds but only had nine points, and Don Trollano, who managed only eight -- 25 notches less than his Game 3 output.
“June Mar had a tough night,” said Cone of the Beermen’s prized center, who was only 3-of-14 from the field, missing several point-blank layups.
Perez and Ross also failed to sustain their blistering start after knocking down four triples each in the opening quarter that gave SMB as much as a 30-14 lead.
Ginebra kept chipping away before sealing the win with a critical windup highlighted by Aguilar’s dunk off Thompson’s outlet pass that made it 101-88 with 2:46 left.
In the nightcap, Poy Erram exploded for 27 points in his biggest game in a long while, scoring 12 in the first quarter to spark a breakaway that carried the TNT Tropang 5G to a 102-83 win and a 3-1 series lead over the Meralco Bolts.
“I’m just thinking of helping the team any way possible,” said Erram, who shot 9-of-11 from the field and added nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists against one turnover in 25 minutes of action.
Jordan Heading, Calvin Oftana and Kim Aurin also delivered double-digit outputs as the Tropang 5G bucked the early exit of RR Pogoy and blasted a Chris Newsome-less Meralco side. / PBA.PH