Justin Brownlee dropped 49 points to power Barangay Ginebra past the luckless Terrafirma, 114-98, and get back on track in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Keen to redeem himself after a rare poor outing in their loss to Hong Kong Eastern the last time out, the three-time Best Import was assertive right from the get-go as he already had 25 first-half points to lead the Kings to a 52-43 lead.
He continued the fine play in the second half, steering his side to a 22-point edge during the third before coming through with counters when the Dyip got to as close as five, 99-94, with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
Brownlee shot 6-of-11 from three-point distance and also collected 12 rebounds and six assists as Ginebra improved to 3-1, creating a three-way logjam with Meralco and Rain or Shine at the third spot of the standings.
Coach Tim Cone was of course left pleased not only with how JB and his wards responded from that loss to the guest team, but with the way they performed in the absence of starters Japeth Aguilar and Stephen Holt due to injuries.
“It was a good win for us because we’re missing two important starters that have been contributing big time for us,” he said. “There was a little anxiety coming into this basketball game … that took out some anxiety when they played well.”
One of those Cone commended was RJ Abarrientos as the flashy playmaker finished with 18 points, two rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Troy Rosario, meanwhile, continued to hike his production for the Kings, this time registering 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and five boards.
Such a solid performance by Ginebra as a collective should bode well as it enters a busy stretch ahead before enjoying the holiday break.
The crowd darlings are set to face Converge this Saturday at the Batangas City Coliseum in an out-of-town battle before battling long-time rivals Magnolia in another Christmas Clasico showdown at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“So hopefully, we can stay a little bit healthy over the next couple of games, and sometime we’ll get those guys back,” said Cone.
Brandon Edwards, on the other hand, had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Terrafirma, who’s now absorbed its sixth loss in as many outings — and remained as the only team yet to win in this conference.
Vic Manuel scored 19 points, former Gin King Stanley Pringle scored 11, and Paolo Hernandez added 10 markers for the free-falling Dyip.
Terrafirma is facing another tough challenge ahead in the form of the 3-1 Rain or Shine on Sunday, December 22, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Scores:
Ginebra 114 – Brownlee 49, Abarrientos 18, Rosario 17, Thompson 8, Adamos 7, Pessumal 6, Mariano 5, Ahanmisi 4, Cu 0, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0.
Terrafirma 98 – Edwards 27, Manuel 19, Pringle 11, Hernandez 10, Ferrer 9, Paraiso 8, Ramos 5, Melecio 5, Sangalang 2, Catapusan 2, Olivario 0, Hanapi 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 52-43, 85-69, 114-98.
