Game One of the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals between the TNT KaTropa and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday night was yet another example of Terrence Jones being more than just an offensive threat.
The 6-foot-9 forward showed his solidity as a defender when he decided to pick up Ginebra counterpart Justin Brownlee in the fourth quarter. At that point, the reigning Best Import already had 22 points across the first three quarters.
Jones clearly made it a tough night for Brownlee. The Ginebra star was only able to shoot thrice and scored just one point in the final frame. That allowed the KaTropa to complete the comeback and take the 95-93 win for the 1-0 lead.
“I just wanted to make it difficult for him,” Jones said. “He’s a great scorer. He’s very versatile. He can score from the three, has a great mid-range game, and he could take you.
“So you just wanna crowd him and make it tough for him.
“It’s not possible to stop him completely because he can score on so many different ways. But you know, you just wanna make it tough on him, and that’s what I tried to do,” added Jones, who’s about five inches taller than Brownlee.
But beyond being able to lock Brownlee down, Jones is glad that the locals stepped up as well in the victory. All four local starters finished in double figures, led by Troy Rosario’s 24 points on top of 10 rebounds and three dimes.
“They stepped up and I was happy for them, like I am every game,” said the former NBA cager, who also had 24 points along with 12 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks, and three steals in the 48 minutes he played.
“I’m really excited for Troy. He’s playing great basketball right now. I think we’re doing it as a team like we did when we went on that stretch of wins in the [eliminations]. Hopefully, we can carry that to Game Two.”
