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Behind Best Import Brownlee, Ginebra ties finals vs SMB

Justin Brownlee waxed hot after winning the Best Import award. Dennis Acosta
By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY--Often times, the player named either the Best Player or the Best Import of the Conference has gone on to have a sluggish outing on the night he was formally awarded.

Justin Brownlee, however, proved that the "curse" can be broken.

The newly-crowned PBA Commissioner's Cup Best Import wreaked havoc on Friday night, leading Ginebra to a 130-100 rout of San Miguel in Game 4 of the conference finals in front of 12,288 people at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Hours after he was formally named the tournament's best foreigner, Brownlee dropped 37 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, and two steals without a turnover to lead the Barangay, who started the game on a 17-0 run and never looked, although the Beermen had some bright moments in the second quarter.

Greg Slaughter backstopped Brownlee with his best performance so far in the best-of-seven series, making 19 markers, eight boards, one dime, three swats, and one steal as Ginebra tied the series at two wins each.

Arwind Santos collected 22 points, three rebounds, and one steal for SMB in a game where Renaldo Balkman and Junemar Fajardo struggled.

Balkman only made 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Fajardo, who was named the Best Player of the Conference, could only come up with 15 markers, although he also had 14 rebounds, one dime, and three blocks.

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