Ginebra got rid of the bitterness brought about by a disappointing loss the last time out by venting all its frustrations on NLEX, 119-91, in a lopsided PBA Governors’ Cup encounter Tuesday night at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings seized control early before pulling away for good in the second period, never letting up from that point on as they all clearly wanted to get back on track after being stunned by Sedrick Barefield and Blackwater last Friday.
“I thought we played [with] a really good tempo,” offered head coach Tim Cone post-game. “The other guys outside Justin Brownlee played aggressively and looked for their shot, and they took some pressure off Justin.”
The others did take some pressure off Justin Brownlee, with point guard Stephen Holt leading the way with 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and six assists for easily his best game in a Ginebra jersey.
“I think in those first three games, my main focus was defensively and just doing the little things. And so coming into this game, I had to step up offensively, obviously to take pressure off Justin and some of the other players,” he said.
Maverick Ahanmisi was in rhythm as well with 20 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Scottie Thompson, for his part, submitted a full line of 19 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block.
RJ Abarrientos hit his conference-high with 19 as well, spiked by three treys, while Japeth Aguilar added 13 as the locals gave more rest to the three-time Best Import after carrying much of the load in their previous games.
Not needing to exert much effort, Brownlee only had 13 points this time, but almost got a triple-double as he also collected seven rebounds and nine assists, plus a steal and a block in the victory that hiked their card to 2-2 in Group B.
Robert Bolick, on the other hand, had 19 points to lead the Road Warriors, who couldn’t sustain their winning ways after a 112-108 overtime victory over Jordan Adams and San Miguel in Cagayan de Oro last Saturday.
The star guard and his fellow locals tried to generate much of their offense amongst themselves on a night Myke Henry got clipped to just 16 points on 16 attempts from the field, and committed seven of their 17 turnovers.
Robbie Herndon had 15 points, Dom Fajardo made 14, while Jhan Nermal added 10 as NLEX absorbed its second loss in five games, although the team remained at no. 2 in the group behind the 4-0 Rain or Shine.
Both teams will see action again on Friday, September 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The Road Warriors will open the double-header against the Bossing (2-3) at 5 p.m. as the Kings take on the winless Phoenix (0-4) at 7:30.
The Scores :
Ginebra 119 – Holt 26, Ahanmisi 20, Thompson 19, Abarrientos 19, Brownlee 13, Aguilar 13, Pinto 3, Tenorio 3, Go 3, Mariano 0, Cu 0, Garcia 0.
NLEX 91 – Bolick 19, Henry 16, Herndon 15, Fajardo 14, Nermal 10, Nieto 8, Valdez 4, Rodger 3, Marcelo 2, Miranda 0, Policarpio 0, Amer 0.
Quarterscores: 36-23, 63-43, 92-64, 119-91
