Ginebra's Thompson insists he was fouled in endgame play vs Magnolia

MANILA, Philippines -- Scottie Thompson reiterated he was fouled while attempting a crucial shot that would have given Barangay Ginebra the lead against Magnolia in the Gin Kings' close 93-91 loss in the PBA Commissioner's Cup on Sunday.

With Ginebra trailing by one, 91-92, with 11.5 seconds remaining following a pair of free throws by Magnolia Hotshots' Tyler Bey, Thompson inbounded the ball to Christian Standhardinger.

Standhardinger then passed the ball back to the former PBA Most Valuable Player, who drove to the basket and attempted a layup over Mark Barroca.

The shot missed, and the team protested that there was a foul on the play.

Replays showed that Barroca slightly hit the arm of Thompson, which altered the shot.

"Well, I don't know. They have different viewpoints [of the play], but I think for me, that was a foul, because I saw the replay," the guard told reporters after the game.

"But, maybe the referee had no clear lane. So, maybe, [the referee] saw different," he added.

After the missed play, Magnolia was able to secure the rebound. A split from the line by Jio Jalalon gave the Hotshots a 93-91 lead.

Standhardinger tried to tie the game with a jumper, but his shot was way off.

An irate Ginebra head coach Tim Cone stormed off the court as the buzzer sounded.

While the Gin Kings lost and blew a 26-point lead in the process, Thompson said he believes it is a good thing that the team experienced the meltdown early in the season.

"The atmosphere in the locker room was down. We were all down, but it is still early in the season. So, I think... it is a good thing that this happened to us now. Bigger picture," he stressed.

"We will go back to this game and we will learn from this, especially with the new group of the team," he added.

"We can all learn from this and that's it. All teams are tough in the PBA, so we need to be ready against every team."

The 1-1 Ginebra will try and bounce back against the winless Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday, November 24.