ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra keeps on turning to Justin Brownlee when the going gets tough.
More often than not, Brownlee rises to the occasion, as he did in a 94-87 victory over Meralco at the Ynares Center that propelled the Gin Kings to the semifinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday, February 9.
Brownlee netted 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, an effort that allowed Ginebra to emerge victorious in the rubber match of the best-of-three quarterfinals and reach the final four for the sixth straight time.
The three-time Best Import poured 10 points in the second quarter as the Gin Kings fought back from a 19-32 deficit to get within 37-38 at halftime then scattered another 10 points in the all-important fourth period.
“It was a little scary there in the beginning,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.
“We just needed a spark and Playoff Justin showed up and gave us that spark. When we got back to one point at halftime, I think we were all confident that we can win this game.”
Brownlee joined hands with RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, and Japeth Aguilar down the stretch as the Gin Kings took the fight out of the Bolts and improved to 8-2 in their playoff encounters.
Meralco crept within a single possession, 76-80, with under four minutes left before Ginebra broke away with an 11-2 run sparked by an Abarrientos three-pointer and capped by an Aguilar dunk that sent the crowd to a frenzy.
Holt backstopped Brownlee with 17 points and 5 rebounds, Abarrientos finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Troy Rosario added 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Scottie Thompson tossed in 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Gin Kings completed the semifinal cast to face top seed NorthPort in a best-of-seven clash.
Chris Newsome put up 22 points to pace the Bolts, who were eliminated by Ginebra for the second straight conference after being swept in the quarterfinals of the Governors’ Cup earlier this season.
Meralco has not made it past the quarterfinals since it won its first-ever championship in the Philippine Cup last year.
Bolts import Akil Mitchell scored just 8 points on 2-of-11 clip as he struggled with a back injury and even went without a field goal for the entire first half, although he contributed 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 42 minutes.
Bong Quinto and Cliff Hodge had 16 and 13 points, respectively, in the loss.
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 94 – Brownlee 23, Holt 17, Abarrientos 16, Rosario 12, Thompson 7, J. Aguilar 6, Ahanmisi 6, Cu 5, Malonzo 0.
Meralco 87 – Newsome 22, Quinto 16, Hodge 13, Banhcero 12, Black 9, Mitchell 8, Rios 5, Almazan 2, Bates 0.
Quarters: 19-22, 37-38, 64-58, 94-87.
– Rappler.com