Standhardinger, Brownlee set tone as Ginebra wallops Blackwater to end skid
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra snapped a two-game skid in the PBA Governors’ Cup in dominant fashion after coasting to a wire-to-wire 119-93 win over Blackwater at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, February 19.
Christian Standhardinger and Justin Brownlee anchored a sizzling start that allowed the Gin Kings to pull away from the Bossing as early as the opening quarter on the way to their fourth win in six games.
Standhardinger tallied 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Brownlee put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in the rout that saw Ginebra bounce back after losses to Magnolia and San Miguel.
The two combined for 21 points in the opening quarter as the Gin Kings jumped to a commanding 37-20 advantage over hapless Blackwater, which failed to recover and absorbed its sixth straight defeat.
Jamie Malonzo also shone for Ginebra with 25 points on a sizzling 5-of-6 clip from three-point land to go with 7 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson delivered 11 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
The Gin Kings missed Japeth Aguilar for the fourth straight game as he continues to nurse a knee injury, which head coach Tim Cone said would likely keep him out for the rest of the elimination round.
But even without Aguilar, Ginebra frolicked inside with 54 points in the paint, with Standhardinger having his way over the Bossing defense after shooting an ultra-efficient 11-of-16, all from two-point distance.
Jeremiah Gray and LA Tenorio added 8 points each for the Gin Kings, whose lead peaked at 93-65 with three minutes remaining.
Shawn Glover churned out 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals in his return as the Bossing import, taking back the reins from Troy Williams.
Blackwater brought back Glover after losing all of its three games with Williams.
The import switch, though, hardly mattered as the Bossing dropped to 1-8 record and remained at 11th place in the 12-team standings.
Ato Ular recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Baser Amer and Yousef Taha chimed in 12 points each.
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 119 – Standhardinger 27, Malonzo 25, Brownlee 22, Thompson 11, Gray 8, Tenorio 6, Pringle 6, Pinto 5, Pessumal 5, Mariano 2, R.Aguilar 0, David 0, Onwubere 0.
Blackwater 93 – Glover 14, Ular 12, Amer 12, Taha 12, Ilagan 11, McCarthy 9, DiGregorio 9, Escoto 4, Toralba 2, Banal 2 Casio 2, Sena 2, Hill 2.
Quarters: 37-20, 62-44, 96-74, 119-93.
– Rappler.com