By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel humbled the foreign guest team Bay Area Dragons after handing them their first-ever loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, 111-93.
Ginebra was led by no other than resident import Justin Brownlee who exploded for 46 big points and single-handedly put the Dragons away in the third quarter.
The smooth and savvy scoring forward scored 18 points in the third frame alone and helped Ginebra pull away with a double-digit advantage.
Brownlee also matched Bay Area’s whole offensive output alone in the third and went unconscious from the shooting field.
Aside from his 46-point outing, Brownlee also grabbed 12 rebounds, assisted the ball three times, and tallied two steals during their statement win.
The Gin Kings spoiled the debut of former NBA first-round pick Andrew Nicholson who replaced scoring guard Myles Powell as Bay Area’s temporary import for several games.
“I don’t think we did anything special. We didn’t do any zones or stuff like that. We just played our basic defense, and played it really, really well. I thought the intensity level of our team was sky-high,” said head coach Tim Cone.
It was a close battle after the first half as Ginebra only had a two-point edge, 50-48, before putting on an offensive clinic that left Bay Area behind.
The Gin Kings had their best scoring output in the third frame after unloading 35 markers compared to Bay Area’s 18 points.
It was also a collective effort for the Gin Kings as Jamie Malonzo, Christian Standhardinger, and Stanley Pringle all scored in double figures.
Malonzo was Ginebra’s second-best scorer who dropped 17 while Standhardinger and Pringle chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Nicholson was the only bright spot for Bay Area as the former forward of the Orlando Magic had 28 points built from 10/16 shooting from the field.
Ginebra’s efficient rebounding was also a key to their win after pulling down 57 boards converted into 44 made shots through four quarters.
“That’s certainly the best part of what we did tonight, our defense. We really wanted to come out and try to defend,” added Cone.
