MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine picked up crucial wins in their respective 2024-2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaigns on Wednesday, December 18, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Longtime Ginebra import Justin Brownlee dropped a cool 49 points on 19-of-29 shooting, adding 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the Gin Kings’ 114-98 whacking of winless Terrafirma Dyip.
Brownlee stepped up in the absence of Japeth Aguilar (groin) and Stephen Holt (knee), who were both ruled out for an extended period.
The naturalized Filipino, who was 3 points short of a new career high, already had 25 points at the half as he sustained his fine form for the rest of the way, playing a total of 41 minutes amid a tough schedule.
“Tonight, it was a good win, because we were missing two starters, so there was a bit of anxiety coming into this basketball game,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone.
“We’ve been trying to limit his minutes, but with the injuries tonight, it was difficult to do that, and Justin just came out and did ‘Justin things,'” he added.
Ginebra virtually controlled the entire contest, leading by as many as 22, 69-47, in the third quarter.
Brownlee’s counterpart Brandon Edwards had 27 points and 12 boards, while Vic Manuel added 19 points as the Dyip sank even further to 0-6.
Stanley Pringle, in his first game against his former team, had 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting, playing 33.5 minutes.
In the first game, Rain or Shine escaped Magnolia, 102-100, even after a topsy-turvy performance in the second half.
Going up by 13 in the third quarter before trailing by 12 in the fourth, the Elasto Painters held the Hotshots scoreless in the last 6 minutes of action to seize their third straight win of the conference.
Magnolia blew several opportunities to win the game, the last being a game-winning attempt from Jerom Lastimosa from downtown, as the Hotshots continued their slide to four straight losses.
Import Deon Thompson led the Elasto Painters in scoring with 18 points and 15 rebounds as his team improved to a 3-1 record.
Leonard Santillan followed suit with 17 of his own, highlighted by four triples, three of which came in the first quarter.
Andrei Caracut also provided 15 markers, including a crucial four-pointer that knotted the game up at 100 at 3:50 to go, as he finished with 15 points.
“Usually, we would collapse when our team lost the lead, but I see this as a good sign,” said ROS head coach Yeng Guiao.
“We came back, which means the team’s character is improving, and it’s a good sign. Caracut’s four-point shot provided us the boost,” he added.
The game stalled on offense in the final 3:26, when Adrian Nocum scored the marginal basket — a fastbreak layup.
Momentum vanished from the Magnolia side when veteran import Ricardo Ratliffe was called for his sixth personal foul with 2:46 left in the game, finishing with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Ian Sangalang provided some quality offense off the bench with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting but was not enough as his team sank to 1-4.
First Game
Rain or Shine 102 – Thompson 18, Santillan 17, Caracut 15, Tiongson 11, Nocum 10, Belga 7, Clarito 6, Datu 6, Pangilinan-Lemetti 5, Malonzo 4, Asistio 2, Ildefonso 1.
Magnolia 100 – Ratliffe 27, Sangalang 21, Barroca 18, Lucero 1, Abueva 8, Dionisio 4, Ahanmisi 4, Lee 4, Dela Rosa 2, Lastimosa 1, Laput 0.
Quarters: 31-23, 50-47, 81-78, 102-100.
Second Game
Ginebra 114 – Brownlee 49, Abarrientos 18, Rosario 17, Thompson 8, Adamos 7, Pessual 6, Mariano 5, Ahanmisi 4, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, Cu 0.
Terrafirma 98 – Edwards 27, Manuel 19, Pringle 11, Hernandez 10, Ferrer 9, Paraiso 8, Ramos 5, Melecio 5, Catapusan 2, Sangalang 2, Hanapi 0, Olivario 0.
Quarters 26-20, 52-43, 85-69, 114-98.
– Rappler.com
