MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion Barangay Ginebra hopes third time’s the charm as it seeks to finish off quarterfinal rival Magnolia and grab a semis seat today in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. We won the first game in the third conference last year, then got swept, and then we won the first game last conference and we got swept. They played a heck of a defensive game in Game One and it felt like a loss more than a win. Magnolia coach Chito Victolero, whose crew had beaten Ginebra in 2018 Governors Cup semis and 2019 Philippine Cup quarters despite losing the opening game, won’t rely on history to survive this win-or-go-home encounter. Right now, we know we’re the underdogs and we’ll try to play hard, make it close and get ourselves a chance to win (Game Two),” said Victolero.

Source: Philippine Star July 22, 2019 16:00 UTC