MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra hardly looked like the team that was most affected by the two-week pause in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Despite missing its main gunners and head coach Tim Cone in its semifinal preparation due to their national team duties, Barangay Ginebra sent league-leading NorthPort crashing back to earth with a 115-93 blowout in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, February 26.
Coming off a stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the Doha International Cup and the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Justin Brownlee showed no signs of fatigue as he towed the Gin Kings to the wire-to-wire drubbing with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Troy Rosario, also part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool, backstopped Brownlee with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while RJ Abarrientos had an all-around outing of 15 markers, 6 boards, and 7 assists.
Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar, who likewise suited up for the Nationals in the Asia Cup qualifiers, added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
After leading by only 5 points at halftime, 56-51, Ginebra opened the third frame with a 12-3 blast for a 68-54 cushion at the 7:20 mark of the quarter.
The Gin Kings — who only practiced for one day as a complete unit — maintained their double-digit advantage all throughout the second half, even leading by as many as 30 points, 111-81, late in the contest.
Import Kadeem Jack was the lone bright spot for the Batang Pier as he put up 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Ginebra limited NorthPort star Arvin Tolentino to just 8 points on 2-of-11 shooting and Joshua Munzon to only 10 points on an 3-of-11 field goal clip.
Overall, the Gin Kings’ defense held the Batang Pier to a lowly 7-of-25 clip from beyond the arc, compared to their red-hot 15-of-29 shooting from the same distance.
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 115 – Brownlee 19, Rosario 16, Abarrientos 15, Malonzo 14, J.Aguilar 11, Holt 7, Mariano 7, Thompson 6, Ahanmisi 5, R. Aguilar 3, Pessumal 2, Pinto 1, Adamos 0.
NorthPort 93 – Jack 33, Munzon 10, Tolentino 8, Navarro 8, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Taha 6, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Cuntapay 3, Miranda 2, Flores 2.
Quarters: 31-22, 56-51, 88-65, 115-93.
– Rappler.com