MANILA, Philippines, March 9 ------ Barangay Ginebra avoided the upset ax and clinched its playoff incentive in the PBA Governors’ Cup after outlasting Terrafirma, 109-104, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Justin Brownlee came alive in the fourth quarter to save the Gin Kings from the jaws of defeat, exploding for half of his game-high 38 points in the period as the defending champs claimed their fifth straight win to improve to 8-2. Brownlee also finished with 6 assists and 5 blocks in an all-around effort that helped Ginebra become the second team to earn the win-once advantage in the quarterfinals after league-leading TNT (8-1).
The Gin Kings also banked on prolific performances from Christian Standhardinger, Jamie Malonzo, and John Pinto to hack out the victory. Pinto drained a gutsy three-pointer with two minutes left that broke a 112-112 deadlock, while Malonzo flushed home a dunk inside the last 15 seconds for the final tally after a Brownlee layup gave Ginebra a 107-104 edge. “They came and played very tough. We knew they were going to come in and play tough even though it was pretty much non-bearing for them. But they still played for their pride,” said Brownlee.
Standhardinger, the newly crowned PBA Press Corps Player of the Week, once again posted all-around numbers of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Malonzo chalked up a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, Pinto delivered 9 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Jordan Williams engaged Brownlee in a scoring duel with 35 points on top of 10 rebounds and 3 steals as he kept the Dyip competitive in a game which fans expected to a lopsided affair. Williams led all scorers at the end of the third quarter with 23 points, allowing Terrafirma to grab a 79-78 lead going into the final salvo. His offense still clicking, Williams scattered 12 points in the fourth quarter, but he missed a crucial layup with 45 seconds remaining that would have cut their deficit to a whisker after Brownlee made it 107-104. Malonzo then sealed the win for the Gin Kings by blowing past Andreas Cahilig and slamming down the two-handed dunk.
Juami Tiongson and Eric Camson tallied 18 and 11 points, respectively, in the loss as the Dyip ended the conference on a seven-game skid and finished with a 2-9 record for 11th place.
The Scores:
Barangay Ginebra 109 – Brownlee 38, Standhardinger 23, Malonzo 16, Thompson 13, Pinto 9, Gray 7, Pringle 3.
Terrafirma 104 – J. Williams 35, Tiongson 18, Camson 11, Gomez de Liano 8, Calvo 7, Cahilig 7, Mina 7, Daquioag 3, Cabagnot 3, Ramos 3, Gabayni 2, Ferrer 0, Alolino 0.
Quarters: 26-24, 52-48, 78-79, 109-104.
Source: rappler.com
Editor's note:
In the first game, Calvin Abueva scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, issued 2 assists, had a steal, and 2 blocks for Magnolia Hotshots which beat Blackwater Bossing, 110-95, to make one last push for their Top Four aspirations in the PBA Governors’ Cup. The Beast became the latest member of the league’s 5,000-point club — four months after becoming the 50th player to collect 1,000 offensive rebounds. Antonio Hester registered a 20/20 built on 22 points and 20 rebounds. Russel Escoto came through with a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Rome Dela Rosa added 14 markers. Magnolia finished the eliminations at 7-4 while Blackwater finished at 1-10.
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