MANILA, Philippines – After being grounded for nearly a year, Jamie Malonzo finally soars again for Barangay Ginebra in the 2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Nine months removed from a tricky calf injury, the Gilas Pilipinas high-flyer returned to a big ovation at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City on Sunday, January 12, as the Gin Kings made light work of the lowly Blackwater Bossing, 86-63.
Understandably limited to just 10 minutes of action off the bench, Malonzo still poured in 8 points, including a trademark dunk at the 2:37 mark of the third quarter to cap off a game-sealing 29-9 Ginebra run, 62-41, all the way from a single-point lead, 33-32, in the second frame.
“It’s been a long, long road for him. We watched him from the side and [saw] the work he’s done, so it’s just a culmination of his hard work getting back to the lineup,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.
“We’ll try to continue to monitor his minutes for the next few games. Hopefully, it’ll increase incrementally as the games come along,” added Cone, as his team rose to a 6-3 record in joint third place with Converge and guest team Hong Kong Eastern.
Resident import Justin Brownlee led the balanced effort in the easy win with a full line of 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Spitfire rookie RJ Abarrientos scored 15 on 6-of-10 shooting as seven Ginebra players, including Malonzo, chipped in at least 8 points.
Super import George King had himself another hard-carry job with a game-high 27 points on a 10-of-20 clip. Role player Jaydee Tungcab was a far second with 10 points in just 18 minutes off the bench as Blackwater fell to a 1-7 card, just above cellar-dwelling Terrafirma (0-9).
The Scores
Ginebra 86 – Brownlee 18, Abarrientos 15, J.Aguilar 10, Ahanmisi 9, Malonzo 8, Holt 8, Rosario 8, Thompson 5, Pessumal 5, Cu 0, Mariano 0, Adamos 0, Pinto 0.
Blackwater 63 – King 27, Tungcab 10, Suerte 9, David 5, Kwekuteye 4, Ponferrada 3, Guinto 2, Montalbo 0, Chua 0, Corteza 0, Hill 0, Casio 0, Jopia 0, Escoto 0.
Quarters: 19-13, 39-32, 66-45, 86-63.
– Rappler.com