MANILA, Philippines -- RJ Abarrientos came up big as Barangay Ginebra pulled away late in Game 3 against San Miguel, 100-90, to gain the upper hand in their Philippine Cup semis series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

The Gin Kings now lead their seven-game semis series 2-1.

Abarrientos led the way for Ginebra, finishing with a near triple-double with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He scored 18 of his total in the fourth quarter after dropping just a total of nine points in the first two games.

Leading by just one, 59-58, at the 5:06 mark of the third quarter, the Gin Kings unleashed a 12-4 run to grab a 71-62 lead late in the frame.

But a Jericho Cruz jumper kept San Miguel within striking distance, 64-71, heading into the final frame.

The two squads were still locked in a tight ballgame in the final frame, with San Miguel trailing by five, 82-87.

But Abarrientos scored seven points in a 9-0 finishing kick by Ginebra as the Gin Kings grabbed a 96-82 lead with 2:22 remaining.

Mo Tautuaa hit a jumper to halt the run, but the Gin Kings’ lead was too big to overcome.

Jamie Malonzo added 20 markers for Ginebra while Japeth Aguilar had 18. Scottie Thompson chipped in 16 points for the winning squad.

Don Trollano provided the spark for San Miguel in a losing effort, producing 22 points and three rebounds. June Mar Fajardo once again came off the bench with a double-double of 12 markers, 14 boards and three dimes.

“I'm just real proud of the guys for steadying themselves and, you know, we figured a couple things out. I thought we played with a really good tempo and then RJ just played tremendous down the stretch to keep them at bay,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said after he game.

“You know, sometimes it just feels like when you look back and beating San Miguel seems like a miracle sometimes. I mean, they're really well-coached, they play to their strengths, they have so many weapons, and they all contribute. What a team,” he added.

“It's a really good team and so when you beat a team like that, you feel really good about yourselves. So our key is not to feel too good and to see if we can repeat after a two-day break.”

Game 4 will be on Wednesday, 5 p.m., at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.