MANILA, Philippines – The Barangay Ginebra Kings worked their way back from a halftime deficit to rally past the San Miguel Beermen, 115-108, and take Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinals series in the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup Monday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Import Justin Brownlee was brilliant all game long, Japeth Aguilar had some spectacular moments, and Sol Mercado and rookie Scottie Thompson shone in the second half as the Gin Kings roared back from a 13-point deficit in the first half.
"To tell you the truth, in the first half, it looked like we were totally overmatched," Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted after the contest. "I just felt like we didn't really know how hard we had to play to win a game like this, an important game like this against a big time opponent like San Miguel."
Brownlee finished with 39 points and 16 rebounds to earn Player of the Game honors, but it was Mercado (19 points), Thompson (11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists), and Aguilar (22 points, seven boards, three blocks) who breathed life back into Ginebra's game after San Miguel threatened to run away with the victory.
Aguilar played solid defense on San Miguel center June Mar Fajardo in the third period, and he anchored a 9-0 run that turned a 55-65 deficit into a one-point game, 64-65, with still 6:16 left in the quarter.
After a triple by Arwind Santos and a lay-up by Elijah Millsap restored a six-point lead, 70-64, Ginebra responded with eight unanswered points to take their first lead of the game, 72-70, with three minutes left in the quarter.
Millsap tied the game for the last time at 72 with a bucket in transition, but Mercado found his rhythm from beyond the arc as he drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:48 left to make it 75-72. It was an advantage that the Gin Kings wound not relinquish the rest of the way.
Thompson shines
Ginebra pulled away early in the fourth quarter, thanks to the remarkable play of the rookie Thompson, who thrice assisted on easy lay-ups for Mark Caguioa. Caguioa's last bucket gave Ginebra a 12-point advantage, 92-80, with 8:35 remaining.
The Beermen did not fold easily, however. With Millsap, Alex Cabagnot, and Marcio Lassiter sniping from beyond the arc, they came to within three-points, 102-105, with still four minutes left to play.
But Cabagnot bricked a potential game-tying three-pointer with 3:22 to go, and Fajardo was called for a traveling violation in their ensuing possession. Mercado then drained a three-pointer with 2:26 left that made it 108-102, and the Beermen were unable to buy a bucket in their next possession with Millsap bricking a lay-up.
Brownlee iced the victory with a three-point play with 1:21 left to play.
"This is a good win for us," said Cone. "But it obviously doesn't win a series. In fact, it's not that big of a deal at this point. Game 2 becomes a big deal. San Miguel is gonna put this one away, and they'll get refocused for the next one."
"Somehow, we're gonna have to come out and meet their intensity in Game 2," he added.
Strong first half for SMB
The Beermen pulled away late in the first quarter, with Cabagnot starring in a 7-0 run to give San Miguel a 36-24 advantage at the end of the opening frame.
But the Gin Kings fought back in the second frame, as Joe Devance sparked an 11-3 run that made it a four-point game, 35-39, with still 7:50 left in the contest. Only a three-pointer by Ronald Tubid kept SMB ahead, but with Cabagnot, Fajardo, and Millsap all on the bench, their offense was stagnant and their defense out of synch.
The re-entry of Cabagnot, Millsap and Fajardo allowed the Beermen to pull away anew, with Santos drilling a three-pointer at the 2:24 mark that restored a double-digit lead, 52-40. A couple of highlight reel plays by Millsap – a reverse dunk off a Ginebra turnover, and a lay-up at the buzzer – helped SMB enter the break leading by 11, 57-46.
They were still ahead, 65-55, with 9:24 left in the third after another bucket by Millsap, but their offense sputtered the rest of the way while again looking slow defensively.
Fajardo finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds, but also committed five turnovers. Millsap added 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Cabagnot had 20 points on six-of-nine shooting from beyond the arc.
The scores:
GINEBRA 115 -Brownlee 39, Aguilar 22, Mercado 19, Devance 12, Thompson 11, Caguioa 8, Mariano 4, Marcelo 0, Tenorio 0, Cruz 0.
SAN MIGUEL 108 - Millsap 29, Fajardo 25, Cabagnot 20, Santos 15, Lassiter 14, Tubid 3, Espinas 2, Ross 0.
Quarter scores: 24-36, 46-57, 79-76, 115-108
(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)
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