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| Justin Brownlee issued another 40-point performance as Ginebra takes the headstart in the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals. PBA Media Bureau |
By Ricky Manliguis
QUEZON CITY-- Barangay Ginebra stepped on the gas early
on behind the hot shooting of Justin Brownlee to pull off a dominating 127-99
win over San Miguel and take the headstart of the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup
Finals Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With Brownlee on ballistic mode once more, the Gin Kings
went on a tear from the start, while its pesky defense stymied the vaunted SMB
offensive enough to take a 1-0 edge in the best-of-7 series.
The crowd darlings jumped the gun with a 9-2 start, then
sustained its hot shooting to a 69-50 halftime advantage. They kept the
momentum in the second half as the lead ballooned to 39, 119-80, with less than
five minutes left in the game.
Brownlee finished with a game-best 42 points on an
efficient 17-of-19 shooting, with 29 coming in the first half. He also had nine
assists, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in almost 40 minutes of
action.
Joe Devance added 20 points, four assists, three steals,
and three boards, while Mark Caguioa provided the spark off the bench with 11
markers. Greg Slaughter finished with 11 to go with seven boards, even as Sol
Mercado chipped in 10.
Ginebra shot better from the field at 61 percent
(51-of-83) as compared to SMB’s 39 percent clip (39-of-100). It also torched the
three-point area with a 13-of-25 shooting.
Renaldo Balkman paced San Miguel with 27 points and 13
rebounds, while Christian Standhardinger came off the bench to score a career-high 26 with
eight boards.
June Mar Fajardo was the other Beerman in double digits
with 13 markers.
Game 2 is set on Sunday also at the Big Dome.
The scores:
Ginebra 127 -
Brownlee 42, Devance 20, Slaughter 11, Caguioa 11, Mercado 10, Tenorio 9,
Thompson 7, Ferrer 7, Mariano 4, Chan 2, Cruz 2, Aguilar 2, Caperal 0, Manuel
0.
San Miguel 99 - Balkman 27, Standhardinger 26, Fajardo 13, Santos 8, Lassiter 6, Cabagnot 5, Nabong 5, Ross 4, Lanete 3, Pessumal 0.
Quarterscores: 35-20, 69-50, 94-75, 127-99.
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