Ginebra wraps up the elimination round with a dominant win against Converge, keeping their bid for the final twice-to-beat advantage alive.
Ginebra takes control in the second half
Justin Brownlee flirted with a triple-double as Barangay Ginebra carves out a convincing 115-96 win against the Converge FiberXers. Brownlee tallied 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists to end the team’s elimination round campaign with a 9-3 slate.
Japeth Aguilar contributed 16 points and seven rebounds while L.A. Tenorio added 14 markers in the win. Reigning MVP Scottie Thompson had an off night, scoring only nine points on 2-of-10 shooting but still managed to grab five rebounds.
Jamie Malonzo had yet another stellar performance, leading the team’s bench scoring with 17 points, while Christian Standhardinger amassed 13 points and eight rebounds. With Malonzo and Standhardinger leading the second unit, the Gin Kings capitalized on a 51-25 bench scoring. Converge, on the other hand, came off cold from beyond the arc, converting only six of their 38 attempts from three-point territory.
With their elimination games capped, Ginebra is keeping their fingers crossed and playing the waiting game, hoping that the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will defeat the Magnolia Hotshots so they could grab the second seed and march onto the quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage.
NLEX still in hunt for a playoff ticket
Earl Clark notched 40 points and 11 rebounds to help the NLEX Road Warriors overcome an early double-digit deficit and oust the Meralco Bolts from the playoff contention via a 92-81 victory.
Don Trollano also waxed hot from long range, converting four of his six three-point attempts en route to a 16-point performance. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser contributed 10 markers.
Meralco, donned by KJ McDaniels’ 22 points and nine rebounds performance, led by as many as 18 points in the first half. However, their nightmare began in the second half as the Road Warriors took control and outlasted them with a 53-24 outburst.
