Justin Brownlee remained the ghost from the past that once again haunted Meralco in crunch time.

In an almost similar fashion when he first broke the hearts of the Bolts, Brownlee drained a stepback triple over Allen Durham with 10.1 seconds left to lift Barangay Ginebra past Meralco, 104-103, in Game 2 of their quarterfinals series in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Adding another thrilling battle to his storied rivalry with Durham, Brownlee engaged the hulking Meralco import in a shootout before getting the last laugh with a booming trey to hand the Kings a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series.

Brownlee carried Ginebra to his back anew and finished with 39 points to go with his seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal, overshadowing Durham, who had a conference-high of 39 points spiked by four triples with 14 rebounds, three rebounds and a block.

With Meralco looking to deliver the dagger hit after Durham gave them a 103-101 edge with 1:22 left, Brownlee stood at the forefront of Ginebra's defensive stand and blocked a Durham attempt.

Brownlee then recovered the ball and dribbled past the halfcourt line before maneuvering and draining a tough step back jumper, much to the delight of the huge crowd inside Big Dome.

Scottie Thompson provided support for Ginebra with 19 points and six rebounds while Maverick Ahanmisi, who also had a crucial triple inside the last two minutes, chipped in 15 points. RJ Abarrientos and Japeth Aguilar had 11 points apiece.

Meralco actually still had the chance to take the game back inside the final 10 seconds but Ginebra forced a driving Chris Newsome to kick the ball out to Cliff Hodge. 

The veteran forward went a little wide on his jumper and while Durham grabbed the rebound, he had no clear shot at the basket in his final attempt at the buzzer.

Newsome finished with 23 points while Hodge scattered 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, all in a losing effort for Meralco.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 104 – Brownlee 39, Thompson 19, Ahanmisi 15, Abarrientos 11, J.Aguilar 11, Holt 6, Cu 3, Devance 0, Tenorio 0, Pinto 0, R.Aguilar 0.

MERALCO 103 – Durham 39, Newsome 23, Hodge 15, Quinto 8, Bates 7, Mendoza 6, Banchero 3, Pasaol 2, Caram 0, Rios 0, Almazan 0.

QUARTERS : 28-21, 48-41, 79-75, 104-103