MANILA, Philippines – Jeremiah Gray knocked down one big shot after another and Barangay Ginebra completed a 114-111 comeback win over NLEX in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, February 8.

The rookie forward finished with a season-high 19 points, draining three clutch triples inside the final two minutes that allowed the Gin Kings to improve to 2-0 and deal the Road Warriors their first loss of the conference.

NLEX looked on its way to its fifth straight win after grabbing a 108-101 lead off a Kevin Alas triple, but Ginebra erected a win-clinching 13-3 run powered by Gray and import Justin Brownlee.

Gray sparked the run with back-to-back treys and hit another one to give the Gin Kings a 112-111 lead before Brownlee closed it out with a pair of free throws.

Alas had a chance to regain the upper hand for the Road Warriors after Gray sank his final three-pointer, but he turned the ball over underneath the basket after being suffocated by Jamie Malonzo and Raymond Aguilar.

Brownlee showed the way for Ginebra with scintillating numbers of 44 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Gray added 4 rebounds and 3 assists in arguably his finest performance in a Gin Kings uniform.

Reigning MVP Scottie Thompson flirted with a triple-double after putting up 12 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds for Ginebra, which also received 10 points from Stanley Pringle.

Getting surprise playing time after Japeth Aguilar subbed out midway through the fourth quarter due to a hurt knee, R. Aguilar made his presence felt with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in eight minutes.

J. Aguilar racked up 9 points and 7 rebounds before his exit, while Malonzo added 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in the win.

New NLEX import Wayne Selden proved to be a worthy successor to Jonathon Simmons after churning out 43 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in his PBA debut.

Also a former NBA player like Simmons, Selden unloaded 20 points in the third quarter alone as the Road Warriors mounted a 92-84 lead going into the final frame.

But NLEX frittered away its lead, which grew to as big as 12 points in the fourth quarter, 100-88, and saw Selden miss the potential overtime-forcing trey at the buzzer.

Alas netted 22 points and 6 rebounds in the loss that dropped the Road Warriors to 4-1, while Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser posted 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

NLEX slipped to a three-way tie with Converge and TNT, with unbeaten San Miguel taking solo first place with a 4-0 card.

The Scores

Barangay Ginebra 114 – Brownlee 44, Gray 19, Thompson 12, Pringle 10, Malonzo 9, J. Aguilar 9, Pinto 8, Tenorio 3, Pessumal 0, R. Aguilar 0, Mariano 0.

NLEX 111 – Selden Jr. 43, Alas 22, Ganuelas-Rosser 19, Rosales 10, Trollano 6, Semerad 6, Gabo 3, Anthony 2, Pascual 0, Doliguez 0.

Quarters: 28-25, 59-55, 84-92, 114-111.

– Rappler.com