MANILA, Philippines – At 36 years of age, there’s still no stopping Justin Brownlee once he takes over for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.
Coming off a stinging loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Brownlee exploded for a new career-high in points as Ginebra picked up its first win of the PBA Governors’ Cup with a 108-102 victory against the San Miguel Beermen at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, August 27.
The Gilas Pilipinas superstar went off for 51 points, 35 coming in the second half alone, to go with 13 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists, and 1 block in a little less than 43 minutes.
Brownlee also hit the crucial layup with 28.1 seconds remaining to put the erstwhile unbeaten Beermen away for good and settle the final score at 108-102.
“We won the game and that’s what really matters,” said Brownlee, who shot an efficient 18-of-29 field goal clip.
“My teammates did a great job, like coach said, in giving me open shots and giving me the ball in comfortable areas.”
“They got a lot of trust in me so I just try to go out there and stay aggressive, and try to help out the team as much as I can,” he added.
After leading all scorers with 16 points at the end of the first half, Brownlee shifted into a higher gear and unloaded 19 of his 51 points in the third quarter to help Ginebra keep in step with San Miguel.
It was still a tight ballgame between the two powerhouse squads in the fourth quarter and with the score knotted at 102-all with less than three minutes to go, Japeth Aguilar went on a personal 4-0 run to give the Gin Kings a little separation from the Beermen with exactly 1:21 to play.
The Beermen had their chances to inch closer or even tie the game with a four-point shot, but they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities as Brownlee sealed the deal with a blow-by layup against import Jordan Adams.
Aguilar also came to play for the Gin Kings as he finished with 21 points on a healthy 8-of-10 shooting, while rookie RJ Abarrientos bounced back from his lackluster debut with 13 points on 5-of-12 field goal clip.
Adams followed up his 50-point explosion against the Blackwater Bossing with 23 points, while eighth-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo posted a double-double of 17 markers and 17 rebounds.
With the hard-earned victory, the Gin Kings moved up to 1-1 in Group B action, while the Beermen slipped to 2-1.
The Scores
Ginebra 108 – Brownlee 51, J. Aguilar 21, Abarrientos 13, Thompson 7, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 4, Go 4, Tenorio 3, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Garcia 0.
San Miguel 102 – Adams 23, Fajardo 17, Perez 14, Romeo 13, Teng 12, Ross 5, Rosales 4, Trollano 4, Cruz 4, Manuel 4, Tautuaa 2, Lassiter 0.
Quarters: 24-24, 46-46, 74-79, 108-102.
– Rappler.com