Ginebra continues trend, serves blowout to even series

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel refused to go down a 3-1 hole on Friday, repeating their Game 1 performance by burying the San Miguel Beermen, 130-100, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings were all business from the get-go, racing to a 17-point lead that proved to be too large for the Beermen to recover from.

Best Import of the Conference winner Justin Brownlee set the tone for Ginebra, hitting 37 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists, while the trio of Greg Slaughter, Joe Devance, and LA Tenorio combined for 54 big points. Sol Mercado, Japeth Aguilar, and Prince Caperal, meanwhile, conspired for 24 off the bench.

"Well that was strange. This has been a strange series," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone after the game. "I don't think I've ever seen one or been in one like this before. Kinda reminds me of the Rockets and the Warriors in the conference finals. We are two explosive teams. If one team gets momentum, it's hard to break because they're that good.

Save for Arwind Santos' 22 points, no other San Miguel player scored more than 20. Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo had a relatively quiet outing with just 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Renaldo Balkman tallied 14. Alex Cabagnot rounded up the Beermen in double figures with 13, as Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross struggled with a combined six points off a 3 of 15 shooting clip.

The Beermen had a decent 39 percent clip from the field, but it was eclipsed by Ginebra's 64 percent average. The Gin Kings shot a high 68 percent within the arc, with a 54 percent clip from deep. They also moved the ball better, tallying 36 assists to San Miguel's 22. — DVM, GMA News