MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings pulled away from third quarter onwards to clobber NorthPort Batang Pier, 115-93, in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Justin Brownlee led the way with 19 points, including three three-point conversions, to go with four rebounds, four assists, and a steal as the Gin Kings took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Jeth Troy Rosario added 16 markers, eight rebounds, and three assists, Rhon Jay Abarrientos contributed 15 markers, while Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar tallied 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Holding to a slim 56-51 lead at the half, the Gin Kings went on a huge third-quarter breakaway behind Brownlee, Rosario, Abarrientos, and Malonzo to establish an 88-65 advantage.
The Gin Kings continued their onslaught in the fourth quarter with three-point conversions from Ralph Cu and inside hits from Aljon Mariano and Maverick Ahanmisi as the lead reached its largest at 30 points at 111-81.
“My assistant coaches did a great job the last two weeks preparing them, and I felt that I walked in the practice (yesterday) and everybody was gearing to go,” said Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone after the game.
Kadeem Jack finished with a double-double of 33 points and 12 rebounds, Joshua Munzon added 10 markers, while Arvin Tolentino struggled with just eight markers for the Batang Pier.
Both teams will resume their semifinals series this afternoon at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City./PN
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 115 – Brownlee 19, Rosario 16, Abarrientos 15, Malonzo 14, J. Aguilar 11, Holt 7, Mariano 7, Thompson 6, Ahanmisi 5, R. Aguilar 3, Pessumal 2, Pinto 1, Adamos 0.
NORTHPORT 93 – Jack 33, Munzon 10, Tolentino 8, Navarro 8, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Taha 6, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Cuntapay 3, Miranda 2, Flores 2.
Quarterscores: 31-22, 56-51, 88-65, 115-93.
