First win of new season for Philippine Cup defending champs

As the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup champions, the Ginebra Kings have finally gotten the hang of the new Commissioner’s Cup season after snapping their two-game skid with an overtime victory over the San Miguel Beermen last Sunday, June 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The score ended at 110-107 in favor of the Kings, with import Justin Brownlee’s 53 minutes of playing time paying off as he totalled 39 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Three of those points secured his team’s win in the last 2:32 left of the game during the fifth quarter, giving them a 109-104 leverage. LA Tenorio, Scottie Thompson, Greg Slaughter, and Sol Mercado also chipped 16, 13, 13, and 12 points respectively.

For the opposing team, it was a steady fight until import Charles Rhodes fouled out in the final 2:45 minutes of overtime. Prior to that, he was playing strong with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Alex Cabagnot added 21 throughout the game, while Marcio Lassiter and June Mar Fajardo contributed 15 and 13 points respectively. However, it was 34-year-old Chris Ross who was an all-around player with a triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.

In reaction to their first win of the season, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said the two teams were, “just two heavyweights going at it,” explaining, “Took an extra round [to see] who could win this one. I like the game because we played within character. We played in the character that we want to play.”

With this win, Ginebra now stands with a 2-1 win-loss ranking, set to face the NLEX Road Warriors next at the Batangas City Coliseum on Sunday, June 23. San Miguel has further fallen to 1-3, but will have a chance to redeem themselves against the Alaska Aces on Friday, June 21 at the Cuneta Astrodome.