MANILA, Philippines, December 26 ------ Only one team walked off the Big Dome with big smiles in the second PBA game on Christmas Day. In this edition of the "Manila Clasico," Barangay Ginebra emerged triumphant, 95-92, over Magnolia in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup at a jampacked Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Scottie Thompson completed Ginebra's comeback, firing the game-winning triple at the corner as the fourth quarter buzzer sounded to the delight of their fans. They tore down the Hotshots' what was once a 22-point lead, with Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos at the helm—hitting the clutch shots for the Gin Kings in their takeover during the final canto.
Tim Cone's wards outplayed their Christmas Day rivals with scores of 28-14 in the last frame, highlighting their "Never Say Die" spirit—a trademark of the Ginebra squad. "At halftime, I was so disappointed because you know, we had a nice crowd. They came to watch the game and we played so poorly in the first half," Cone said during the postgame press conference. "I just think the guys kind of gathered themselves and got a little bit determined there in the second half," he went on.
A total of 12,198 fans trooped to the QC venue to witness this epic ballgame. Brownlee led with his magic, listing a game-high 28 points on 5-of-6 makes from beyond the arc, including seven rebounds and five assists. Abarrientos had a total of 20 points—17 of those came in the last two quarters—and added five dimes and three steals. Troy Rosario was present in the scoring and rebounding departments, registering a 15-8 stat line. Thompson also had 14 markers and collected six assists and five rebounds.
This was also a remarkable night for Thompson as he achieved a historic milestone—reaching 2,000 assists in the league. He was only the 32nd player to do so and sixth among active players, namely, Alex Cabagnot, Jayson Castro, Chris Ross, his Wednesday opponent Mark Barroca and teammate LA Tenorio. Meanwhile, there were four Hotshots in double-digit territory, headlined by reinforcement Ricardo Ratliffe, who garnered 17 points and 16 rebounds in the heartbreaking loss.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 95 – Brownlee 28, Abarrientos 20, Rosario 15, Thompson 14, J.Aguilar 8, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 5, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Mariano 0
MAGNOLIA 92 – Ratliffe 17, Barroca 13, Lee 11, Sangalang 11, Lucero 8, Balanza 8, Dela Rosa 7, Dionisio 6, Lastimosa 6, Abueva 5, J.Ahanmisi 0QUARTERS: 24-30, 41-55, 67-78, 95-92
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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