Sports
More than 50 points by Brownlee after OT Ginebra win over Columbian
As the Columbian Dyip bid their shot at the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup playoffs goodbye, the Ginebra Kings had what “might be the best non-bearing game in PBA history,” according to head coach Tim Cone, after an overtime 127-123 victory against the Coach Johnedel Cardel-led squad last Sunday, July 14 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Justin Brownlee erupted for the Kings with a successful 20-of-37 points percentage, totalling 50 points throughout the match. He also contributed 14 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and four blocks. New recruit Stanley Pringle is getting into the groove of his team as well with 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists throughout the match – even scoring the crucial floater at the last 1.2 seconds of the game that led his team to overtime. Japeth Aguilar contributed 20 points and eight rebounds, while LA Tenorio and Scottie Thompson chipped 15 and 12 points respectively.
Import Lester Prosper of Columbian brought his team close to making franchise history by defeating Ginebra for the very first time, as he performed with 45 points, 18 rebounds, and two steals. Rookie CJ Perez contributed 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Rashawn McCarthy had a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists. Former National University (NU) Bulldog Glenn Khobuntin totalled 17 points, while Fil-Swiss Andreas Cahilig added 11. Unfortunately, it did not prevent their 3-8 win-loss record finish.
According to Cone, “Neither team wanted to give in, [but Ginebra] wanted to create momentum going to playoffs,” explaining, “Whether we won or lost, we were going to be the fourth seed, but we really wanted to just try to continue our momentum.” He added, “We played as hard as we possibly could, and barely beat them on a couple of Justin Brownlee tough shots. Hats off to them, and hats off to our players for battling and playing.”
Coach Tim applauds their opponents for making their victory difficult, stating, “That whole team is a team of big-shot makers. Every time we make a little bit of a run, they come down and make a big shot. We really need a game like this to help us prepare (for the playoffs).”