PBA Finals: Ginebra rips San Miguel by 30 points, levels series 2-2

MANILA, Philippines – It was a double celebration for Justin Brownlee as he won the Best Player of the Conference and his team, Barangay Ginebra equalized the series 2-2 after manhandling San Miguel Beermen, 130-100 on Friday, August 3, 2018 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Justine Brownlee PBA Finals
The Best Player of the Conference exploded for 37 points to level the series 2-2 | Photo Credit: pba.ph

“They’re just too good for us.” These were Coach Tim Cone’s saddening words after Ginebra’s humiliating loss against San Miguel in game 3.

For the Gin players, they treated Coach Cone’s statement as mere motivation to get better and level the series in game 4.

With an all or nothing mindset, the Gin Kings blanked the Beermen 17-0 in the first 4 minutes of the 1st quarter.

Greg Slaughter was unstoppable and outdid his game 3 performance with 11 points including 2 thunderous dunks after the first 12 minutes of the game.

Ginebra boasted an 18-point, 39-21 advantage over San Miguel at the end of the opener.

Aggressiveness never stopped for the Gins as they kept on draining shots and making the Beermen pay for their sloppy defense in the 2nd period.

Game 2 and 3 heroes Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross were both quiet in this game and handed the scoring chores to their teammates Arwind santos and Christian Standhardinger.

Normally, the reinforcement who wins the Best Import of the Conference award plays odd right after receiving it. But in Justin Brownlee’s case, he’s all out in this game to void the spell as he dropped 17 big points in the first 2 quarters.

San Miguel barely caught up after the 1st half but its run wasn’t good enough as Ginebra still in control 67-52.

SMB was able to bring the lead down to 13 but the feisty Gin Kings won’t let go of their lead that easy and executed their own offensive attack to bring their margin back to 20 in the early phase of the 3rd period.

Greg Slaughter put on a show and overshadowed the newly crowned Best Player of the Conference, June Mar Fajardo who just had 6 points as midway of the third approached. Slaughter on the other hand already had 17 points with over 17 minutes left in the entire game.

Justin Brownlee was on track in hitting another 40-point game. As the 3rd quarter ended, the versatile import already had 35 and his team still had the edge 97-75 entering the final period.

Ginebra reached the 100th-point mark as the 4th quarter was unfolded. Japeth Aguilar who was timid in the previous game due to an injury became more active on the floor and helped his team ramp-up their lead.

Barangay’s margin had gone up to 38 with 5 more minutes remaining. The locals led by Sol Mercado and Joe Devance took charge and inch by inch were closing game 4 in Ginebra’s favor.

At exactly 5-minute mark of the 4th period, Coach Leo Austria raised his hands up and conceded to Coach Tim Cone as he pulled his starters out and brought his reserves in.

130-100 is the final score as Barangay Ginebra successfully levelled the series 2-2. Justin Brownlee finished the game with 37 points and 11 rebounds.


Game 5 will be on Sunday, August 5, 2018, 7PM still at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Scores:

Ginebra (130): Brownlee 37, Slaughter 19, Devance 18, Tenorio 17, Mercado 9, Aguilar 8, Thompson 7, Caperal 7, Chan 4, Mariano 2, Manuel 2, Caguioa 0, Cruz 0, Ferrer 0

San Miguel (100): Santos 22, Fajardo 15, Standhardinger 15, Balkman 14, Cabagnot 13, Nabong 6, Lassiter 4, Pessumal 4, Heruela 3, Ross 2, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Mamaril 0

Quarter scores: 39-21, 67-52, 97-75, 130-100

— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express



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