Ginebra rolled to its third win in a row in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup by adding to the woes of a free-falling Terrafirma, 111-103, before a sold-out crowd at the Ynares Center II in Montalban on Saturday night.
The Gin Kings got going from deep early by nailing five of their 18 triples in the first 12 minutes, although it wasn’t until the third quarter that they’d break away for good, much to the delight of the pro-Barangay crowd that showed up.
From a slim six-point lead at the half, Coach Tim Cone’s charges erupted for 35 points to build a 91-71 lead entering the final period, a spread good enough for them to eventually create a three-way tie at no. 3 with TNT and Meralco.
The three are now sharing identical 5-2 records, with the Tropang 5G the first to join the Bolts following a come-from-behind 97-92 victory over the gritty Titan Ultra earlier in the night, big thanks to a 50-point performance by Bol Bol.
(C) PBA Images
“Medyo mahirap to get here, but once you’re here, it’s a nice facility … we shot the ball well, so obviously, the rims were nice to us as well,” said the champion mentor as Ginebra played in the faraway venue for the first time.
“This is our first time to even look at it. We were a little bit wondering how we would play here. RJ came out, made those first three of the game, and Justin got on fire, and that kinda affected everybody,” added Cone.
Justin Brownlee went 5-of-6 from three and finished with 28 points, alongside nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals against zero turnovers.
RJ Abarrientos and Stephen Holt delivered 17 points apiece and combined for eight rebounds and nine assists, while Scottie Thompson added 10 markers on top of four boards and six dimes as the starters showed the way.
The Kings will soon turn their attention to the latter part of their elimination round campaign, beginning with Blackwater on Friday, April 24, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum–with their goal, of course, to make a push for the Top Four.
“We have an important few games ahead of us,” Cone said. “We’ve got Blackwater coming up, and we’ve got Titan coming up. We just gotta really come out and take care of our business, and make sure we’re ready to play those guys.
“Because any team in the PBA can beat you up any night–Titan gave TNT a big fight tonight, so we have to be aware of that, we have to be cognizant of that. We have to make sure we’re prepared and ready for each game,” he added.
(C) PBA Images
Jerrick Ahanmisi, meanwhile, had 27 points to lead the Dyip, whose struggles continued as the once-unbeaten crew fell to their fifth successive loss.
Burly rookie Shawn Umali had 15 points as Mubashar Ali got held to only 14 points on 14 shots and 10 rebounds in the defeat that spoiled the return of Paolo Hernandez, who had 12 points, and Maverick Ahanmisi.
Up next for Terrafirma would be current second-place holder NLEX (6-1), whom it will take on next Saturday, April 25, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
Ginebra 111 – Brownlee 28, Abarrientos 17, Holt 17, Thompson 10, J.Aguilar 8, Gray 8, Rosario 6, Go 5, Cu 4, Torres 3, Estil 3, Pinto 2, R.Aguilar 0.
Terrafirna 103 – J.Ahanmisi 27, Umali 15, Ali 14, Hernandez 12, Bravo 9, Eriobu 7, Paraiso 7, Chiu 6, M.Ahanmisi 3, Hanapi 3, Adamos 0, Catapusan 0, Zaldivar 0.
Quarterscores: 28-23, 56-50, 91-71, 111-103.
