JUSTIN Brownlee caught fire in Game One with five four-pointers as Barangay Ginebra beat San Miguel in a 122-105 blowout on Wednesday in the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup semifinals at the Philsports Arena.
Brownlee scored 33 points and was perfect from beyond the four-point arc until he missed one late in the third quarter where he missed his only shot from that distance, lifting the Gin Kings to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
LIST: Sportsmen running in the May 2025 national elections
Stephen Holt and RJ Abarrientos also played key roles in the series opener as the Gin Kings looked sharp even after an eight-day break following a sweep of Meralco in their best-of-five quarterfinal series.
Game Two is on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Holt had 30 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Abarrientos scored 11 of his 13 points in the second quarter in the first PBA semifinal game of their careers.
EJ Anosike tallied 27 points and eight rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter had 18 points for the Beermen. June Mar Fajardo scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds - a double-double that still pales in comparison to his Game Five performance in the quarterfinals where he had 40 points and 24 rebounds against Converge.
Brownlee’s five fours all came in the third quarter, enabling Barangay Ginebra to outscore San Miguel, 34-20, in the period for a 97-78 lead.
“I thought we played a really good first half but we knew we needed an even better second half,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “And that was the message. We were pleased by the way we played in the first half.
“We were playing in the rhythm that we wanted to play, and then (Justin) came out and hit shot after shot after shot that really extended the lead for us,” said Cone.
Scottie Thompson also contributed an all-around game for Ginebra with 10 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.
With the game already in the bag, Brownlee also got a chance to rest for Game Two after logging just 28 minutes in the blowout win.
Playing two days after closing their grueling quarterfinal series against Converge, San Miguel still tasted the lead early in the game, 17-13. The Beermen, however, lost the lead for good after the Gin Kings finished the second quarter with a 7-3 run to take a 63-58 halftime advantage.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 122 – Brownlee 33, Holt 30, Abarrientos 13, Thompson 10, Ahanmisi 9, J. Aguilar 9, Pinto 8, Devance 8, Adamos 1, Cu 0.
San Miguel 105 – Anosike 27, Lassiter 18, Fajardo 16, Perez 13, Ross 7, Rosales 6, Romeo 6, Enciso 6, Cruz 4, Tautuaa 2, Nava 0, Brondial 0.
Quarters: 27-28; 63-58; 97-78; 122-105.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
