PBA: Barangay Ginebra overcomes Rain or Shine for semis series lead

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel overcame Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 103-98, to take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rain or Shine import Jaylen Johnson drilled a four-point shot with 14 seconds left to cut the deficit to 101-98, but a foul by Jhonard Clarito sent Stephen Holt to the free-throw line, where he knocked down two charities to seal the win.

Despite Rain or Shine’s late fourth-quarter rally, Barangay Ginebra dominated the third period, outscoring the Elasto Painters, 29-12, to build a 77-68 cushion heading into the final frame.

Rain or Shine held a 56-48 lead at halftime.

"We just told our guys at halftime to just keep battling," Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.

"As long as we kept up our defense, we just kept getting back in defending, then we'd had a chance to win this game. That kind of happened."

Scottie Thompson led Ginebra with 25 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block, while import Justin Brownlee posted 24 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block. RJ Abarrientos added 17 points, while Holt chipped in 11.

Johnson finished with 23 points, 21 rebounds, eight assists, and one block for Rain or Shine, while Caelan Tiongson scored 23 points on seven triples. Adrian Nocum contributed 17 points, while Andrei Caracut had 15 points, including five triples — all coming in the first quarter.

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 103 – Thompson 25, Brownlee 24, Abarrientos 17, Holt 9, Rosario 9, J.Aguilar 7, Gray 7, Cu 3, Pinto 0, Go 0, Torres 0.

Rain or Shine 98 – Tiongson 23, Johnson 23, Nocum 17, Caracut 15, Mamuyac 7, Clarito 5, David 3, Asistio 3, Malonzo 2, Santillan 0, Manaytay 0.

Quarters: 27-30, 48-56, 77-68, 103-98.

—JKC, GMA News