Barangay Ginebra San Miguel got back to the winning track after dispatching the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 89-82, in the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Import Justin Brownlee tallied 28 points and 10 boards for the Gin Kings (8-2) which regained the No.1 spot after bouncing back from a loss to the San Miguel Beermen last week that snapped their seven-game winning run.
LA Tenorio added 16 points and four assists while Scottie Thompson collected 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Gin Kings. Greg Slaughter also had a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards.
After a tight first half, the Gin Kings unleashed 10 straight points early in the third quarter to grab a 47-32 advantage.
Ginebra maintained that lead for the rest of the way despite Rain or Shine waxing hot in the fourth quarter. Chris Tiu scored all of his 11 points in the final frame, including back-to-back triples that helped the Elasto Painters claw back to within three, 75-72.
But big plays by the Gin Kings led by Thompson, Brownlee and Slaughter kept Ginebra afloat.
Raymond Almazan led the way for Rain or Shine (5-4) with 20 points and eight boards.
The scores:
GINEBRA 89 – Brownlee 28, Tenorio 16, Thompson 12, Slaughter 12, Mercado 9, Devance 7, Ferrer 5, Aguilar 0, Caguioa 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 82 – Almazan 20, Bullock 15, Cruz 13, Tiu 11, Norwood 9, Belga 6, Matias 3, Belga 3, Yap 2, Ahanmisi 0, Ponferada 0, Trollano 0.
Quarters: 24-15, 37-32, 65-55, 89-82.