Barangay Ginebra drew first blood over San Miguel Beer in their 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series with a 104-95 victory on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Jordan Murphy tallied 29 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, but the Gin Kings also got a big lift from Isaac Go, who made key plays in the second half to create separation from the Beermen.
Go scored six of his 14 points in the third quarter in perhaps his best performance since a lengthy absence due to a knee injury.
The win was Ginebra’s fourth in the last five games since its campaign was put in jeopardy with a 3-5 record in the group stage.
Ginebra can make it two in a row over San Miguel in Game 2 on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
CJ Perez and Don Trollano scored 21 points apiece while import George King added 20 for the Beermen.
Two threes from Go in the last three minutes of the third were among the reasons that momentum swung in Ginebra’s favor.
The Gin Kings ended the period up 76-70 before the lead ballooned to a high of 20 in the fourth.