Justin Brownlee reset his PBA career-high to power Barangay Ginebra past San Miguel in an early heavyweight clash, 108-102, for their first win of the Season 49 Governors’ Cup, Tuesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The three-time Best Import finished with 51 points, alongside 13 rebounds, five assists, and six steals to spearhead the Kings’ solid bounce-back from a losing season debut versus Rain or Shine in Candon, Ilocos Sur last Saturday.
He came through with the big plays down the stretch, first by finding a rolling Japeth Aguilar to widen their lead to four with 1:21 remaining before nailing the dagger via driving layup against Jordan Adams with 28.1 seconds left to play.
Justin Brownlee lights up the court with his 51st point against San Miguel!
#PBA2024
@JustineBacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/xE87Cstm8i
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) August 27, 2024
“The guys kept their poise, and got good shots. They found Justin, and I think that’s really key,” offered head coach Tim Cone post-game.
Aguilar sustained his fine play as he tallied 21 points, including the jumper that broke the 102-all deadlock with 2:21 left and gave them the lead for good.
RJ Abarrientos finally showed a glimpse of what he can do with 13 points on 41.7-percent shooting as he rebounded from a 1-of-15 debut last Saturday.
“What I really liked about RJ is he came out and took his first open shot and knocked it down, took another open shot and knocked it down. It just goes to show his mindset,” Cone lauded of their third pick.
Now at 1-1 in Group B, Ginebra will look to string a mini streak when it battles the 0-3 Blackwater on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Adams, on the other hand, had 23 points and seven rebounds for SMB as he got outplayed by a familiar foe in Brownlee. Both from the state of Georgia, the two played against each other in the 2024 Indonesian Basketball League.
June Mar Fajardo had 17 points and 17 rebounds. CJ Perez made 14 points for a San Miguel side that lost for the first time after a 2-0 start.
Terrence Romeo had 13 points while Jeron Teng had 12 as the two led the Beermen’s third-quarter assault to end it in their favor, 79-74.
But then came Ginebra’s retaliation, where Coach Jorge Gallent’s wards got outscored, 34-23, with Brownlee and Aguilar combining for 27.
San Miguel will try to get back on track immediately versus Robert Bolick and NLEX on Saturday, August 31, in Cagayan de Oro City.
The Scores:
Ginebra 108 – Brownlee 51, J.Aguilar 21, Abarrientos 13, Thompson 7, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 4, Go 4, Tenorio 3, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Garcia 0.
San Miguel 102 – Adams 23, Fajardo 17, Perez 14, Romeo 13, Teng 12, Ross 5, Rosales 4, Trollano 4, Cruz 4, Manuel 4, Tautuaa 2, Lassiter 0.
Quarterscores: 24-24, 46-46, 74-79, 108-102.
