Brownlee, Abarrientos connive as Ginebra adds to Converge woes
At A Glance
- Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos took turns in torching Converge as Barangay Ginebra got back on the winning track with a 99-93 victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 29.
Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos took turns in torching Converge as Barangay Ginebra got back on the winning track with a 99-93 victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 29.
The lethal combination connived for 65 points with Brownlee scoring the last four points to help the Kings create the much-needed separation against the struggling and depleted FiberXers.
Brownlee finished with 33 points to go with 10 rebounds — none bigger than the floater he nailed over the outstretched arms of Converge seven-foot import Kylor Kelly to give Ginebra a 97-93 cushion.
The Kings then held on to their defense and forced Converge to a pair of well-challenged four-pointers to bounce back from the first loss they absorbed at the hands of Rain or Shine.
Abarrientos also exploded for 32 built on four triples while Troy Rosario was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 to go with 13 rebounds – nine of which came at the offensive end.
Though no team was actually able to establish a sizeable margin, the Kings actually trailed for most of the contest but things began to take a turn in the third frame where they fired 39 points.
Converge managed to stay within striking distance but the FiberXers just couldn’t execute when mattered the most as they slid to a 1-4 record.
Justine Baltazar paced the team with 20 points while Mikey Williams continued to show improvements with 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Kelly added 13 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in another losing effort