Saudi Gazette
MANILA — The Barangay Ginebra Kings unleashed their full might to blow out the TNT KaTropa Texters by 27 points, 121-94, in Game 1 of their best-of-5 semifinal series of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Monday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings thus gave the Texters a dose of their own medicine after the latter scored an emphatic 29-point win over Ginebra, 121-92, in the final day of the eliminations on Sept. 23. Game Two of the series is set on Wednesday night in Batangas City.
Determined to avenge their lopsided loss, the Kings blasted off with a 14-2 run to turn a 17-19 deficit into a 31-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. They kept firing away, never giving the Texters any room to mount even a semblance of an uprising, leading by as many as 34 points in the final quarter.
Justin Brownlee ignited the Ginebra firestorm in the first half, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in that period. The do-it-all import added eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals and one block in just 28 minutes as he enjoyed the luxury of watching the game from the bench in the final quarter when Ginebra’s lead was way beyond reach.
Joe Devance and Greg Slaughter took the scoring cudgels from Brownlee in the third quarter when the Gin Kings blew the game wide open. Devance tallied 19 points, including three triples, on top of four caroms, three dimes, one steal, and one block, with zero turnover in over 26 minutes of play.
Slaughter came off the bench to unload 16 points, seven boards, five assists, four blocks in 21 minutes.
Four other Gin Kings scored in double-digits as coach Tim Cone emptied his bench in the final quarter when victory was well assured. Mark Caguioa fired 13 points, all scored in the fourth quarter, while LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Jervy Cruz added 10 points apiece.
The Gin Kings outshot the Texters, 54 percent to 40 percent, and dominated the boards, 53-42, using their size to dominate the second-seeded TNT that had to grind out a sudden death quarterfinal win against Rain or Shine.
Glen Rice Jr. led TNT with 26 points while Jayson Castro added 16 markers, 11 of them in the first quarter. However, the two combined for 13 of their team’s 22 turnovers.
Game on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017: Meralco Bolts vs. Star Hotshots (best-of-5 semifinals; Meralco leads 1-0)
