MALONZO FEELS HE LET TENORIO DOWN AS GINEBRA LOSES DECIDER

JAMIE Malonzo didn’t need extra motivation coming into Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals, especially after being bailed out by his captain LA Tenorio in the previous game. 

Malonzo started on fire and finished as Ginebra’s best player in the KO match with 22 points on 8-11 shooting, and a combined 3-4 from three and four-point range – unfortunately that went for naught as they fell to the San Miguel Beermen, 100-93, on a rainy Wednesday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

READ: San Miguel outduels Ginebra in Game 7, gets shot at TNT in Finals

The high-flying forward’s performance was in stark contrast to his Game 6 stinker where he shot 1-14 and finished with just two points, as Ginebra had to rely on Tenorio’s ‘miracle game’ to save them and forge an extender. 

That’s exactly what bothers Malonzo the most – not being able to return the favor to Tenorio who was also celebrating his 41st birthday on Wednesday.

"It’s a disappointment right now. A lot of us really wanted to win this because of what LA Tenorio gave us for Game 6. A lot of us wanted to give that back in Game 7, myself included, I know the rest of the team as well," Malonzo said. 

"It’s really tough because we had the game under control. That’s what hurts the most for us. We had the game under control and then it slipped out of our hands very quickly." 

Malonzo bared that he continues to suffer from Achilles tendinitis, the reason for his terrible performance in Game 6. 

But given that it’s do-or-die now, and buoyed by Tenorio’s awe-inspiring performance in Game 6, Malonzo paid no mind to the pain and in return, he played his best game in the series. 

"I wasn’t at my best in Game 6. I was dealing with some Achilles tendinitis that was stopping me from doing what I do. Like I said, LA Tenorio’s performance that’s what’s motivating me, after everything he’s been through, I couldn’t be hurt for this next game," he said. "That’s what motivated me today but unfortunately it wasn’t enough." 

The 6’7 Fil-American admitted they were caught off guard when the Beermen shifted to a zone in the fourth quarter, and they were never really able to recover from that point on.  

It also didn’t help that their red-hot shooting from the first three quarters starting cooling off,  as they only made three of eight from threes and fours in the fourth after going 11 of 20 combined in the first three. 

Two of those even came from Malonzo, with his lone four in the 1:29 mark drawing Ginebra back to within five, 98-93, 

Unfortunately, that was the last time they made a basket. 

"We had a rough adjustment. I think they went zone. We had some crucial turnovers and led to a lot of fastbreak opportunities for them," Malonzo said. 

"They took advantage of our mistakes for sure. We had the game under control most of the time until they went zone and they were able to take it from us very quickly."

2025-07-09T16:15:15Z