JUSTIN Brownlee displayed a performance worthy of an alpha male import, scoring 46 points to steer Barangay Ginebra to a blowout 111-93 win over the Bay Area Dragons on Sunday in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena.
Brownlee carried the Gin Kings in the third quarter, where he scored 18 points to help turn a two-point halftime gap into a lopsided contest. Ginebra improved to 2-1, while handing Bay Area its first defeat in five games.
[READ: Jeremiah Gray finally plays first game in PBA]
Brownlee’s scoring output was just four points short of his career high but eclipsed the previous conference high of 45 set by Magnolia import Nick Rakocevic in his first game against Terrafirma last September 28.
The loss spoiled the PBA debut of Andrew Nicholson, who took over the spot of Myles Powell after the latter played the first four matches of the conference.
Ginebra led by as many as 28 points in the contest.
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted it wasn’t hard to motivate his ballclub in a game that, he said, had a finals atmosphere.
“We really wanted to come out and try to defend them. I tell you, Nicholson was tearing us apart in that first half but I was really pleased with the quality of the game, the intensity in that first half," said Cone.
"I said ‘Wow, this is one of the best games I’ve been a part of.’ It was a lot of fun,” added Cone.

Nicholson had 28 points in his first game since replacing Myles Powell under a rotation system but he was held to two points in the second half as the Dragons coached by Brian Goorjian trailed, 85-66, at the end of the third.
Jamie Malonzo scored 17 points including a slam in the first quarter that got the predominantly Ginebra crowd going. Christian Standhardinger added 11 points and 10 rebounds in Jeremiah Gray’s first game with the Kings.
The scores:
Barangay Ginebra 111 – Brownlee 46, Malonzo 17, Standhardinger 11, Pringle 10, Thompson 8, Gray 5, J. Aguilar 5, Pessumal 3, Tenorio 2, Pinto 2, Onwubere 2, R. Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.
Bay Area 93 – Nicholson 28, Yang 15, Lam 13, Ewing 8, Blankley 8, Liu 8, Si 4, Zhu 2, Zhang 2, Ju 0, Liang 0, Song 0.
Quarters: 26-28; 50-48; 85-66; 111-93.
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