PBA: Barangay Ginebra weathers late Rain or Shine rally, evens semis series at 1-1

Barangay Ginebra weathered a late Rain or Shine rally to secure a 109-101 victory and even their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series at 1-1 on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Gin Kings led by as much as 24 points, 62-38, before Joshua David scored to trim the Elasto Painters’ deficit to 62-40 at the end of the first half.

Barangay Ginebra maintained control in the third quarter and entered the final period ahead, 88-69.

The fourth quarter, however, saw Rain or Shine mount a strong comeback.

Trailing 98-78 with 6:38 remaining, the Elasto Painters unleashed a 19-3 run to cut the deficit to 101-97 with 1:37 left. Scottie Thompson converted two free throws following an Adrian Nocum foul to give Barangay Ginebra breathing room, although Jhonard Clarito answered with another basket for Rain or Shine.

Troy Rosario then delivered the dagger for Barangay Ginebra, while RJ Abarrientos knocked down all his free throws in two trips to the line to seal the win despite another basket from Nocum.

“It was really Rain or Shine’s style of game again. They played their style of game, they kept the pace up and wore us down. They came back in the fourth quarter and gave themselves a chance to win,” Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.

“From a coaching standpoint, you expect them to do that and you just hope that you have enough energy down the stretch to hold them at bay. Then you have to be able to keep your poise. I didn’t think we kept our poise well, but we were able to keep them at bay.”

Justin Brownlee finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block, while RJ Abarrientos added 25 points, six assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Japeth Aguilar posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds along with three assists, while Scottie Thompson chipped in 15 points.

Adrian Nocum led the Elasto Painters with 20 points, while Jaylen Johnson recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. Jhonard Clarito also scored 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 109 – Brownlee 31, Abarrientos 25, Thompson 15, J.Aguilar 14, Rosario 11, Gray 5, Holt 3, Pinto 3, Cu 2.

Rain or Shine 101 – Nocum 20, Clarito 19, Johnson 19, Mamuyac 18, Malonzo 8, Asistio 4, Santillan 4, Manaytray 4, Cuajao 3, David 2, Caracut 0.

Quarters: 30-20, 62-40, 88-69, 109-101.

—JKC, GMA News