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Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and clutch RJ Abarrientos lead Ginebra’s late run over rival Meralco to open the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra took first blood in its best-of-five quarterfinals after pulling away late against rival Meralco, 99-92, in the continuation of the 2024 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, September 26.
Justin Brownlee played like he was in the pink of health despite nagging injuries, leading the Gin Kings with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in 41 minutes in the series opener.
Scottie Thompson scattered 19 points, 15 in the first half, along with 5 boards, and 5 dimes. Twelve-time champion Joe Devance, in his first game since retiring in 2022, scored 2 in 6 minutes off the bench.
After squandering a 15-point third-quarter lead, 66-51, down to just one, 81-80, early in the fourth quarter, Ginebra got its bearings back in time with essentially a game-sealing 14-5 run, capped off a wide-open RJ Abarrientos dagger three, 95-85, at the 2:51 mark.
Meralco only got as near as 5, 92-97, with 30.2 seconds left off an Allen Durham steal and deuce before Brownlee shut the door with a pair of charities at the 27.2-second mark to set the final score.
“It’s an interesting dynamic for us since we haven’t played Meralco this conference yet,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “So it’s kind of a feeling-out process.”
“We came out on top, but basically we just made more plays down the stretch. It could’ve gone either way.”
Cliff Hodge was near-perfect in the loss with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and a block, while Chris Newsome added 20 points, 6 assists, and 4 boards.
Durham, in his first matchup with Brownlee since the 2019-2020 Governors’ Cup finals, only shot 8-of-21 on the way to a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double.
The Scores
Ginebra 99 – Brownlee 29, Thompson 19, Holt 14, J. Aguilar 10, Cu 9, Abarrientos 8, Ahanmisi 8, Devance 2, R. Aguilar 0.
Meralco 92 – Hodge 23, Newsome 20, Durham 17, Banchero 11, Quinto 10, Caram 6, Almazan 5, Rios 0, Mendoza 0, Bates 0, Cansino 0, Jose 0.
Quarters : 28-24, 53-43, 73-71, 99-92.
– Rappler.com
