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    Ginebra brings joy to fans on Christmas with gritty win over Bay Area

    Masaya ang barangay ngayong Pasko
    Dec 25, 2022
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    LA Tenorio proved once again that he can be relied upon come playoff time, lifting Barangay Ginebra to a 96-81 win over Bay Area at the start of the 2022-2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

    Tenorio spearheaded the breakaway in the second quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the match to give the Gin Kings the 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals series and bringing joy to Ginebra's multitude of fans on Christmas Day.

    [READ: Brownlee allays fears after rolling ankle in Game 1]

    Justin Brownlee also had his usual numbers in the series opener witnessed by 18,252 fans inside the MOA Arena.

    Ginebra Bay Area fans MOA Arena

    Brownlee had a double double of 28 points and 13 rebounds, while Tenorio scored a conference-high 22 points for the Gin Kings, who limited the Dragons to their lowest scoring output in a guest stint in Asia's oldest pro league.

    Dragons import Andrew Nicholson was held to 27 points, his lowest in the league and one point lower than in his PBA debut against Ginebra.

    “Playing on Christmas Day is a little overwhelming, honestly, and playing in the finals is always a little overwhelming. So you add the two together, it makes for a lot of anxiety in this game and playing it,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

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      “It is a special moment. It is a special time. People are coming either with their families or coming from their thing to come watch us. They are here not just to watch us but they are here to see the Philippines play,” said Cone.

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      Tenorio hit two threes in Ginebra’s 19-6 finish to the second quarter that turned the match around after the Gins trailed by eight, 34-26, the biggest lead of the Dragons in the match.

      Brownlee then closed the game with 10 points in the fourth as Ginebra led by as many as 15, 92-77.

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      Game Two is on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

      The scores:

      Barangay Ginebra 96 – Brownlee 28, Tenorio 22, Standhardinger 16, Thompson 14, J. Aguilar 6, Pringle 5, Malonzo 3, Gray 2, Pessumal 0, R. Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.

      Bay Area 81 –Nicholson 27, Yang 12, Zhu 12, Lam 11, Ju 6, Song 5, Blankley 4, Liu 2, Zheng 2, Reid 0.

      Quarters: 22-25; 45-40; 72-64; 96-81.

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