Barangay Ginebra San Miguel squared their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series against the San Miguel Beermen after a dominant 105-91 victory on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The win, fueled by a historic performance from star guard Scottie Thompson, leveled the best-of-seven duel at two games apiece, setting up a thrilling best-of-three showdown for a finals berth.
Thompson's Monumental Career Night
The story of the game was unequivocally Scottie Thompson, who authored a performance for the ages. The do-it-all guard erupted for a career-best 35 points, alongside 11 rebounds and 11 assists, to record his 11th career triple-double. More significantly, it marked the first 30-point triple-double by a local player in the PBA in 36 years.
Thompson was the catalyst for Ginebra's comeback from an early 16-point deficit and was instrumental in the decisive fourth-quarter run. He personally engineered a 7-0 burst that gave the Gin Kings a commanding 91-83 lead, part of a larger 33-16 fourth-quarter blitz that overwhelmed the defending champions.
Team Effort Seals the Win
While Thompson starred, he received crucial support from his teammates. Japeth Aguilar, Norbert Torres, and Jayson David all made timely contributions. The team's ball movement was exceptional, racking up 34 total assists, with David dishing out seven. "We had 30-plus assists tonight and when we can make 30-plus assists that's when we're really at our best," said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.
Cone admitted he was unaware of Thompson's staggering stat line during the game. "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," Cone remarked, praising his guard's all-court impact.
San Miguel's Struggles and TNT's Commanding Lead
For San Miguel Beer, the loss halted their two-game winning streak in the series. CJ Perez scored 22 points and Chris Ross added 20, but the Beermen's hot start—fueled by four triples each from Perez and Ross in the first quarter—could not be sustained. The team sorely missed scoring from other sources.
Six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo grabbed 20 rebounds but was held to just 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting, missing several close-range attempts. Don Trollano was also limited to eight points, a sharp drop from his 33-point explosion in Game 3.
In the other semifinal series, the TNT Tropang 5G moved to the brink of the finals with a 102-83 win over the Meralco Bolts. Poy Erram led the way with 27 points and 9 rebounds in his best game in recent memory, helping TNT take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
