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| Justin Brownlee hit back-to-back perimeter shots that helped Pelita Jaya put away Prawira Bandung in Game 1 of the IBL semifinals. Kennelf Monteza (file photo) |
MANILA--PBA imports Justin Brownlee and KJ McDaniels scored crucial baskets that helped Pelita Jaya turn back Prawira Bandung, 84-80, in Game 1 of their IBL semifinals match-up on Thursday night at the GOR C-Tra Arena in Bandung.
McDaniels, formerly of NLEX, and Brownlee, Ginebra's longtime import, scored on back-to-back jumpers that gave Pelita Jaya a 79-76 lead with 1:43 left.
Pandu Wiguna scored on a dunk to keep Prawira Bandung in the game, but Brownlee hit a crucial triple that upped Pelita Jaya's lead to four, 82-78, with 1:08 to go.
Wiguna imposed his will inside again with another slam to draw his club closer, but Andakara Dhyaksa's turnaround jumper with 17 seconds to go iced the game for Pelita Jaya.
McDaniels led second-seeded Pelita Jaya with 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting, four rebounds, and two blocks off the bench, while Brownlee added 22 points on 9-of-14 field goals, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Yudha Saputera had 20 points, one rebound, six assists, and two steals, while former PBA import Antonio Hester added 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and one steal off the bench for third-seeded Prawira Bandung.
Taking the best-of-three series opener on the road, Pelita Jaya gets a chance to seal a place in the finals at home as the series shifts to the Gelora Bung Karno Tennis Indoor Stadium in Jakarta on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Satria Muda stunned Dewa United with an 89-75 win at the BritAma Arena also in the Indonesian capital to open their own semifinal tie.
Satria Muda turned things around in the second quarter, outscoring Dewa, 29-18, to take a 43-36 halftime lead.
The home team then pulled away in the fourth period with a 23-15 scoreline.
Reynaldo Zamora led Satria Muda with 26 points, two rebounds, nine assists, and five steals, while Abraham Grahita added 22 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal off the bench.
Artem Pustovyi contributed 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Jordan Adams led Dewa with 29 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
Despite conceding the Game 1 defeat, Dewa, the top seed in the entire IBL Playoffs, gets to host Game 2 on Saturday night at the Dewa United Arena in Tangerang with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled on Sunday night also at the said venue.
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