Brownlee, Holt lead shutdown as Ginebra equalizes series vs. TNT

Justin Brownlee and Stephen Holt torched the opposing side from beyond the arc, steering Barangay Ginebra to a 106-92 win over TNT in Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The tandem provided the needed spark for the Gin Kings, who now forged a 2-2 series stalemate and dragged the Tropang Giga to a virtual best-of-three affair. 

"This is the finals. Everybody wants to win so bad. It's not just about making shots, it's about how much guys are gonna defend, rebound, and hustle. And that's what we have been able to do in these last two games," Ginebra coach Tim Cone said.

"In terms of offense, we just kept making big shots when we needed to and we've been doing that pretty much all conference long."

Brownlee, who already had 18 points at the break, continued his hot offense by drilling big baskets in the third after converting back-to-back triples and a four-point shot that sent the Gin Kings to an 85-73 lead. 

However, Ginebra could not pull away for good with Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana, and recently-crowned Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson keeping the Tropang Giga at bay. An Oftana three-pointer trimmed their deficit to just six to open the fourth, 87-81.

Good thing for Ginebra, though, was the balanced offense that also saw Holt and Maverick Ahanmisi put the finishing blows. 

Ahanmisi first sank a triple before knocking down a huge four-point basket over the defense of RR Pogoy and Hollis-Jefferson, bringing Ginebra's lead to a comfortable 101-90 with 2:29 to go in the game. 

A Holt dagger triple and Brownlee slam then sealed it for Ginebra, who once found itself down 0-2 in the series before solving the TNT puzzle in the past two games to force a deadlock. 

Brownlee top-scored with 34 points alongside six rebounds, four assists, and one steal while he was backstopped by Ahanmisi, Holt, and Japeth Aguilar, who all poured in 18 markers apiece. 

Hollis-Jefferson paced TNT with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals while Oftana finished with 26 points, 20 of which he dropped in the first half before he was limited to just six in the second half. 

Ginebra and TNT both shoot for a series advantage on Wednesday for Game 5. 

Scores:

Ginebra 106 – Brownlee 34, Ahanmisi 18, J.Aguilar 18, Holt 18, Thompson 12, Abarrientos 5, Devance 1, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Pinto 0.

TNT 92 – Hollis-Jefferson 28, Oftana 26, Nambatac 15, Castro 9, Pogoy 9, Erram 3Aurin 2, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0, Williams 0.

Quarters: 30-25, 54-42, 85-77, 106-92.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News