BARANGAY Ginebra stayed on a rollercoaster ride in the PBA Governors’ Cup, bouncing back from a loss for the second time with a 119-91 rout of NLEX Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coming off a 95-88 upset loss to Blackwater, the Gin Kings cranked it up early and played with resolve and purpose all night to pull off the 28-point victory.
The Kings hit at a 60-percent clip in tearing the game apart, 63-41, right in the first half, and there’s no turning back for coach Tim Cone’s chargers on the way to their second win in four starts.
They caught up with the San Miguel Beermen at third place in Group B, behind the pacesetting Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4-0) and the NLEX Road Warriors, who dropped to 3-2.
“I thought we played a really good tempo. The other guys outside Justin Brownlee played aggressively and looked for their shot, and they took some pressure off Justin,” said Cone.
“I also thought NLEX’s a little tired from their out-of-town game where they won in overtime,” the Ginebra coach added.
Myke Henry and his teammates couldn’t keep up with the searing pace set by the Gin Kings, suffering a blowout four days after a 112-108 shock overtime win over the San Miguel Beermen in Cagayan de Oro.
The Kings were a determined bunch that they didn’t leave anything to chance.
And they didn’t need much from Brownlee.
Stephen Holt played his best game in a Ginebra jersey thus far, coming through with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists to lead the stellar job by the locals.
“He set the tempo and got everyone going,” said Cone of their trade recruit from Terrafirma.
At the half, Holt, Maverick Ahanmisi, Scottie Thompson, and RJ Abarrientos had all hit double-digit outputs.
Ahanmisi finished with 20 points, Thompson and Abarrientos had 19 each, and Aguilar added 13.
Holt also did a wonderful job in defending very well against the NLEX import. With Henry clipped, the Road Warriors were held below 100 points for the first time this conference.
Brownlee didn’t need to exert much effort in just 38 minutes of action, putting in 13 markers, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
How they fared:
GINEBRA 119 - Holt 26, Ahanmisi 20, Thompson 19, Abarrientos 19, Brownlee 13, Aguilar 13, Pinto 3, Tenorio 3, Go 3, Mariano 0, Cu 0, Garcia 0.
NLEX 91 - Bolick 19, Henry 16, Herndon 15, Fahardo 14, Nermal 10, Nieto 8, Valdez 4, Rodger 3, Marcelo 2, Miranda 0, Policarpio 0, Amer 0.
Quarterscores: 36-23, 63-43, 92-64, 119-91. / PBA.PH