Barangay Ginebra crushes top-seed NorthPort in dominant Game 1 win in semis

Barangay Ginebra, whose core was coming off a hectic Gilas Pilipinas schedule, didn't mind fatigue as it cruised to a masterful 115-93 win against NorthPort in Game 1 of PBA Season 49 best-of-seven semifinals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Gin Kings broke away for good in the third quarter to draw first blood against the top-seeded Batang Pier despite being only completed a day ago as head coach Tim Cone, alongside players Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, and Troy Rosario joined Gilas Pilipinas in two international tournaments over the past two weeks.

Brownlee led the masterclass with 19 points while getting ample support from the locals as Rosario dropped 16 markers, eight rebounds, and three assists. RJ Abarrientos and Malonzo chipped in 15 and 14 points each to help the assault. 

"It (Gilas' campaign) was definitely a tough trip and it was a disappointing trip. But yeah, for the quick turnaround, I thought Olsen and Coach Kirk did such a fantastic job with the guys over the last two weeks," Cone said.

"That was important because we didn't want to overplay Justin, Japeth, and Scottie. The fact that they were able to stay sharp to give those guys a break was really important."

Ginebra unleashed a huge third quarter, turning a slim 56-51 halftime lead to  a massive 84-60 cushion after Rosario, Brownlee, and Malonzo caught fire from downtown in the frame as the Gilas Pilipinas members starred in the 32-14 third quarter rampage. 

The Ginebra bench took care of business the rest of the way with Ralph Cu hitting back-to-back triples that made it a 96-70 lead for Ginebra as Brownlee and the starters basically rode the bench for the entire fourth period. 

Kadeem Jack left it all out for the Gin Kings with 33 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Best Player of the Conference candidate Arvin Tolentino was limited to eight points in almost 35 minutes of action. 

Scores:

Barangay Ginebra 115 – Brownlee 19, Rosario 16, Abarrientos 15, Malonzo 14, J.Aguilar 11, Holt 7, Mariano 7, Thompson 6, Ahanmisi 5, R. Aguilar 3, Pessumal 2, Pinto 1, Adamos 0.

NorthPort 93 – Jack 33, Munzon 10, Tolentino 8, Navarro 8, Nelle 7, Onwubere 7, Taha 6, Bulanadi 4, Yu 3, Cuntapay 3, Miranda 2, Flores 2.

Quarters: 31-22, 56-51, 88-65, 115-93.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News