Find Out Who Won Today's PBA Match and See the Final Score Breakdown
As I settled in to watch today’s PBA matchup, I couldn’t help but reflect on how unpredictable this season has felt from the very start. That only makes the race to the top a lot more interesting with many, us included, feeling that this year will be a little bit more open and competitive. And honestly, after witnessing today’s clash between Barangay Ginebra and the San Miguel Beermen, I’m more convinced than ever. The energy in the arena was electric, the plays were sharp, and the final score—Ginebra 108, San Miguel 102—tells only part of the story. Let’s dive into what went down, quarter by quarter, and unpack the standout performances that shaped this thrilling contest.
Right from tip-off, it was clear both teams came to play. Ginebra opened with a 12-4 run in the first six minutes, largely thanks to Justin Brownlee’s early dominance in the paint. He finished the quarter with 11 points, and honestly, I’ve rarely seen him so dialed in this early. San Miguel, though, didn’t buckle. June Mar Fajardo responded with back-to-back baskets, cutting the deficit to just three points by the end of the first. The quarter ended 28-25, and you could feel the tension building. I’ve followed the PBA for over a decade, and what strikes me this season is how evenly matched the top squads are. There’s no single powerhouse running away with wins—every game feels like a toss-up, and that’s exactly what the league needed.
The second quarter saw San Miguel claw back, briefly taking the lead at 42-40 around the seven-minute mark. Their ball movement was crisp, with Chris Ross dishing out five assists in that stretch alone. But Ginebra’s defense tightened when it mattered most. Scottie Thompson, who I’ve always believed is one of the most underrated two-way players in the league, came up with two critical steals that led to fast-break buckets. By halftime, Ginebra had regained control, leading 55-50. Statistically, Ginebra shot 48% from the field in the first half compared to San Miguel’s 44%, but what stood out to me was the rebounding battle—Ginebra outrebounded them 26-21, with Christian Standhardinger pulling down 8 boards himself. Those second-chance points made all the difference.
Coming out of the break, San Miguel made a strong push, tying the game at 70-all midway through the third. Marcio Lassiter caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting three triples in under four minutes. I’ll admit, I thought San Miguel might run away with it then—their momentum was palpable. But Ginebra’s experience shone through. Coach Tim Cone’s decision to go small with a lineup of Brownlee, Thompson, and LA Tenorio paid off, as they forced three turnovers and closed the quarter on a 12-4 run. The score stood at 88-80 heading into the final period, and at that point, I felt Ginebra had the mental edge. It’s moments like these that highlight why this season feels so wide-open—even when one team seems to have the upper hand, the other finds a way back.
The fourth quarter was a nail-biter, no doubt. San Miguel trimmed the lead to just two points, 98-96, with about four minutes left, thanks to Fajardo’s relentless inside presence—he ended the night with 24 points and 14 rebounds. But down the stretch, Ginebra’s composure was something to behold. Brownlee, who finished with a game-high 32 points, hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:12 on the clock, essentially sealing the win. On the other end, San Miguel’s last few possessions felt rushed; they missed three of their final four field goal attempts. Final score: 108-102. Looking at the breakdown, Ginebra’s bench outscored San Miguel’s 28-18, and that, in my view, was the X-factor. Role players like Arvin Tolentino stepped up when it counted, adding 12 points off the pine.
Wrapping up, today’s game was a microcosm of why this PBA season has been so compelling. The final score reflects Ginebra’s resilience, but it also underscores how narrow the gap is between the top teams. With the standings as tight as they are—Ginebra now moves to 7-3, while San Miguel drops to 6-4—every game feels like a playoff preview. Personally, I love it. The league has needed this kind of parity, where on any given night, any squad can pull off a win. As we look ahead, matchups like these will only intensify the race, and I, for one, can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. If you missed today’s action, the replay is worth your time—this was PBA basketball at its finest.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
