MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra banked on a fiery fourth-quarter surge to rip Columbian, 113-90, and notch the playoff bonus in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, November 15.

Squandering a 19-point lead in the first 3 quarters, the Gin Kings pulled away for good in the payoff period behind Jeff Chan and Art dela Cruz as they improved to 7-3 to lock up the twice-to-beat quarterfinal incentive.

Chan poured out half of his 20 points in the last frame, sinking two treys in the period that saw Barangay Ginebra outscore its foes, 31-12, for back-to-back wins. 

The Dyip were well within shouting distance, trailing 80-85 early in the last frame before Chan and Dela Cruz conjoined for an 8-2 spurt that gave the Gin Kings an 11-point cushion with less than 10 minutes left. 

Chan then drilled in back-to-back three-pointers for a 99-84 advantage before Barangay Ginebra cruised to a 23-point romp.

Import Justin Brownlee finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals in the win, while Stanley Pringle had 20 points and 2 steals.

Japeth Aguilar added 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks as dela Cruz had 16 points for the Gin Kings. 

Import Khapri Alston frolicked inside the paint with 34 points and 22 rebounds, but Columbian could not carry its momentum from a massive third-quarter assault as it failed to nail a playoff berth with a 4-7 record. 

The Dyip came back from 19 points down and took the lead, 78-77, off an Alston bucket only to witness the other side seize an 82-78 lead entering the 4th quarter.

Now, Columbian must rely on the results of the other teams at the bottom of the standings for a crack at the quarterfinals.

The Scores

Barangay Ginebra 113 – Brownlee 26, Pringle 20, Chan 20, Aguilar J. 19, Dela Cruz 16, Thompson 4, Caperal 4, Tenorio 2, Mariano 2, Dillinger 0, Sargent 0, Teodoro 0, Aguilar R. 0, Devance 0, Caguioa 0.

Columbian 90 – Alston 34, Perez 19, McCarthy 12, Tiongson 11, Camson 6, Corpuz 4, Gabriel 2, Agovida 2, Celda 0, Reyes 0, Cahilig 0, Khobuntin 0.

Quarters: 28-18, 58-44, 82-78, 113-90.

– Rappler.com