Barangay Ginebra’s solid quartet escaped past upset-conscious San Miguel in overtime, 19-17, to win the opening leg of the Philippine Basketball Association 3×3 First Conference Season 3 on Tuesday at the Ayala Mall Manila Bay.
Donald Gumaru finished with eight points, including the game-winning deuce that clinched for the Kings the P100,000 prize money after a tightly-fought
finale.
Kim Aurin had an all-around game of five points, five rebounds, and five assists, while setting up Gumaru for the game winner.
Ralph Cu and Raphael Salcedo rounded out the scoring with four and two points, respectively for the Kings, who are coached by Kirk Collier.
All four Ginebra players incidentally, are also part of the team’s roster in the ongoing PBA On Tour.
The Kings nosed out Terrafirma Dyip in the semis, 17-13.
It was a heartbreaker of a loss for the Beermen, who earlier pulled off shocking wins over grand slam champion TNT and second seed Cavitex to reach the finals.
Marvin Lee exploded for 15 points in the quarterfinals as the Beermen ousted the Triple Giga, 22-14, while Ken Bono imposed himself in the paint during the semis, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds in San Miguel’s 18-10 win over Cavitex to advance in the title game.
The Beermen banked in the P50,000 runner-up purse.
Cavitex beat Terrafirma in the battle for third, 21-15.
Ken Ighalo topscored with eight points, while Tonino Gonzaga added six for the Braves, who bagged P30,000.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, the Braves slammed the door on Meralco, 21-17, Terrafirma denied newcomer Wilcon Depot a semifinals seat, 20-18, and Ginebra downed Pioneer Elastoseal, 19-16, to advance.
