Barangay Ginebra clinches 4th seed, sets up playoff rematch with Meralco

Barangay Ginebra secured the fourth seed in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup playoffs with a 91-87 victory over Meralco.

The win sets up a best-of-three quarterfinal series between Ginebra and Meralco, who are guaranteed the fifth seed.

Ginebra head coach Tim Cone acknowledged that Meralco will be a tougher opponent in the playoffs, especially since both teams preserved their main core and Meralco rested their import Akil Mitchell, who was out due to back issues.

Cone cited Meralco's motivation to get back at Ginebra after being eliminated by them in the previous conference's quarterfinals.

For the Gilas Pilipinas mentor, far from their faceoff last Wednesday, this latest edition of the Ginebra-Meralco matchup will once again push both teams to the limit as they look to advance into the semifinals.