Kings halt Hotshots, reduce gap to 1-2

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra simply refused to die, with Justin Brownlee sparking a siege in the third quarter then LA Tenorio and Jeff Chan joining the fray in the crunch as the Kings lived to fight another game with a breath-taking 107-103 come-from-behind win over the Magnolia Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Brownlee matched his PBA best of 46 points while Tenorio and Chan scored 16 of their combined 19 markers in the payoff period as the Kings survived an 18-point deficit late in the first half and foiled the Hotshots’ first crack at closing out their PBA Governors Cup best-of-five semis series.

“We’re happy to be alive and kicking, but that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to win the series. I just hope my guys understand that that’s not our goal, that they don’t rest on their laurels and keep moving,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

Game Four is set over at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo with the Hotshots looking to wrap up the series at 3-1 while the Kings try to send it to a deciding Game Five.

Brownlee went 14-of-25 from the field and 16-of-21 from the stripe in matching his PBA high set in Game Four of their semis battle with TNT KaTropa in the same conference last season.

The Ginebra locals struggled badly through first three quarters, but Tenorio and Chan found their touch in time to help the Kings stay in the hunt for a third Governors Cup crown.

Tenorio scored 11 points in the payoff period, including a runner off Jio Jalalon to break a 103-all tie with 14.9 ticks to go. Then after Paul Lee missed a make-or-break three-point attempt, Tenorio himself nailed two charities to seal the win in the curious match marked by wild momentum swing and the exit of Magnolia coach Chito Victolero on an unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Kings got off to a 19-11 start before floundering and falling behind by 18 late in the first half at 38-56.

“It certainly looked bleak at halftime. We’re not playing well at all. We’re a bit gigil. Everybody was trying to do it all on his own,” said Cone. “At halftime, I said we’ve got to do it as a team. And we did it offensively and defensively.”

The Kings hit their stride in their return from the halftime huddle and pulled even at 75-all on a three-point play by Scottie Thompson with a little over a minute left in the third.

From a 79-81 count at the start of the fourth, the Kings stormed ahead at 93-83 on a 14-3 opening roll by Sol Mercado, Chan, Tenorio and Brownlee.

The scores: 

Ginebra 107 – Brownlee 46, Thompson 15, Tenorio 14, Aguilar 11, Devance 8, Chan 5, Mercado 3, Slaughter 3, Caperal 0, Ferrer 0.

Magnolia 103 – Barroca 19, Lee 17, Sangalang 16, Travis 12, Jalalon 10, Brondial 10, Dela Rosa 8, Simon 5, Melton 3, Reavis 3, Herndon 0, Gamalinda 0. 

Quarterscores: 23-22, 41-58, 79-81, 107-103