BARANGAY Ginebra moved one win away from advancing to the semifinals after a business-like 118-102 victory over an overmatched NorthPort side on Wednesday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena.
Justin Brownlee and Stanley Pringle led a huge closeout to the third quarter that set the stage for the breezy Game One victory and moved Ginebra on the cusp of a sweep of the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
Game Two is set on Saturday.
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Ginebra went on a 19-4 run to end the third to turn a close game into an 89-74 lead at the end of the quarter. The lead eventually ballooned to 106-86, the biggest of the match.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone, however, said it wasn't as easy as it looked, calling NorthPort a 'frustrating team to play.'
“It was [in] a blink of an eye. All of a sudden, we kinda broke it open, got it to 10 or 11. Then suddenly, it was 15 and 16. Then, they came right back at us. They are a frustrating team to play because they are good.” said Cone.
“If we can make stops, it’s going to put us on the open court. We are pretty dangerous in the open court,” said Cone, who along with his coaching staff came out dressed in black polo shirts instead of their usual long sleeves and ties.
Brownlee had 39 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks. The Barangay Ginebra import had 19 in the third quarter and joined forces with Pringle, who added 16 points in the game.
LA Tenorio had four threes to move up to fourth in the all-time list for most three-pointers made, overtaking Ronnie Magsanoc.
Arvin Tolentino scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds but his efforts were not enough to overcome his former ballclub. Robert Bolick added 21 points for the sixth-seeded Batang Pier.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 118 – Brownlee 39, Pringle 16, Malonzo 13, Tenorio 12, Thompson 11, Gray 9, J. Aguilar 7, Mariano 6, Standhardinger 5.
NorthPort 102 – Tolentino 29, Bolick 21, Ibeh 18, Ferrer 15, Sumang 9, Navarro 8, Ayaay 2, Calma 0, Chan 0.
Quarters: 29-24; 56-50; 89-74; 118-102.
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