By JAY R. GOTERA
MANILA — Justin Brownlee erupted for 29 points, 20 of them in the third quarter, to power the Barangay Ginebra Kings to a pulsating 113-96 come-from-behind victory over the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday night.
Brownlee, the import who led the Kings to the championship of last season’s Governor’s Cup, sparked the Ginebra breakthrough in the third quarter when he outscored the entire GlobalPort team.
He also tallied eight boards, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks in 38 minutes as he led the Kings to their first victory after letting his team down with a lethargic performance in the game against Phoenix in Davao last week.
Brownlee only scored four points in the first half, which ended with GlobalPort ahead, 58-51.
But the 28-year-old 6’7” import suddenly came alive in the third quarter, sparking a 16-2 run highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers as Ginebra erected an 85-75 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Batang Pier could not stop the Kings’ momentum as they absorbed their third loss in as many games.
LA Tenorio led the Ginebra locals with 15 points on top of six boards, four assists, and two steals in 36 minutes.
Fit-again Sol Mercado added 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds, with zero turnover in 25 minutes off the bench.
Japeth Aguilar finished with a double-double 13 points and 11 boards, along with four assists, and two blocks.
Scottie Thompson and Joe Devance chipped in 10 markers apiece.
Stanley Pringle played like an import for GlobalPort, finishing with a team-high 29 points. New recruit Dylan Ababou added 17 markers.
Terrence Romeo, the league’s top scorer, continued to struggle for GlobalPort, finishing with 14 points on a mediocre 6-of-22 from the field.
Star 97, Mahindra 83
The Star Hotshots handily defeated the Mahindra Floodbuster, 97-83, to notch their fourth win in as many games, enabling them to tie Alaska as the top of the standings.
Import Tony Mitchell once again drew raves for his impressive showing, finishing with team-highs of 19 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. He punctuated his game with an exclamation mark when he made a highlight-reel windmill dunk in the third quarter.
Mahindra suffered its fourth loss in five games as the Floodbuster failed to get the much needed firepower from their new import Keith Wright, who tallied 17 points on a forgettable 8-of-22 shooting along with 14 boards.
Five other Hotshots scored in double digits with rookie Jalalon topping the local scoring with 14 points on top of three assists, three steals, and just one turnover in almost 30 minutes of play.
Aldrech Ramos added 12 points, including three triples. Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, and PJ Simon chipped in 11 points apiece.
Alex Mallari bounced back from a sub-par performance in Mahindra’s last game, scoring a game-high 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting on top of six boards, two steals, and one assist.
Games Friday: NLEX Road Warriors (0-4) vs. TNT KaTropa Texters (2-1) and San Miguel Beermen (1-0) vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters (2-2).
