Barangay Ginebra sent a strong message in its 2025 PBA Philippine Cup debut, overpowering Terrafirma, 101-80, Wednesday, April 23, night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Veteran forward Japeth Aguilar led the charge with a 30-point performance, anchoring the Gin Kings’ wire-to-wire win. Aguilar set the tone early, scoring 12 of his total in the first period to help Ginebra establish a 30-17 advantage that set the tempo for the rest of the game.

Scottie Thompson added his usual all-around brilliance, tallying 11 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists as Ginebra cruised to victory just days ahead of a marquee showdown against San Miguel on Friday.

Newcomer RJ Abarrientos provided firepower off the bench with 14 points, including three triples, while Stephen Holt added 10 points for a Ginebra side looking to bounce back from runner-up finishes in the Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cups.

Despite minimal preparation for the Philippine Cup, coach Tim Cone’s squad hardly broke a sweat against a Terrafirma team that absorbed its third straight loss after winning its opener against Phoenix.

Returning forward Jonathan Gray made it to the starting lineup alongside Aguilar, Thompson, and Holt, but saw limited action after hurting his knee late in the first half. He finished with six points, five boards, and two assists in under 17 minutes of play.

Ginebra’s bench stepped up as well, with Maverick Ahanmisi scoring nine and Nards Pinto chipping in eight points.

The Gin Kings never looked back after their early surge, with Aguilar, Abarrientos, Thompson, and Holt rotating in leading roles to maintain control throughout. It was a definitive bounce-back effort following their heartbreaking loss to TNT in the previous conference’s finals.

Up next is a titanic clash with San Miguel, which is also eager for redemption following a narrow 98-95 Holy Wednesday loss to Magnolia.

On the other end, rookie CJ Catapusan led Terrafirma with 14 points, while Mark Nonoy had 13 in a losing effort.