Malonzo, Brownlee, Standhardinger dominate as Ginebra wallops Converge for 4th straight win
MANILA, Philippines – Jamie Malonzo, Justin Brownlee, and Christian Standhardinger fired from all cylinders as Barangay Ginebra crushed Converge, 120-101, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, March 5.
The trio dropped at least 25 points apiece to power the Gin Kings to their fourth straight win and seventh overall in nine games, which further enhanced their bid for a twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.
Jamie Malonzo set the tone in the rout, scoring 10 of his conference-high 29 points in the opening quarter as Ginebra ended the period up 29-24 on the way to tying San Miguel for second place with identical 7-2 cards.
Malonzo laced his finest performance of the conference with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
The rest of the Gin Kings followed suit, with Brownlee and Standhardinger also turning in all-around performances as Ginebra swept its three-game stretch for the week after welcoming back its stars from Gilas Pilipinas duty.
Brownlee finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks, while Standhardinger churned out 28 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Despite their locals’ efforts, the FiberXers hardly threatened a comeback as import Jamaal Franklin scored a conference-low 4 points after coming off a 57-point explosion in a loss to Meralco two days prior.
Franklin, who entered the game with a league-best average of 37.3 points and normed 23.1 shots per game, attempted just five field goals in a head-scratching performance for the former NBA player.
Converge dropped to 6-5 and wrapped up the elimination round with three straight defeats.
The Scores
Barangay Ginebra 120 – Malonzo 29, Brownlee 28, Standhardinger 28, Gray 16, Thompson 5, Pinto 4, R.Aguilar 4, Pringle 3, Onwubere 3, Pessumal 0, Dillinger 0.
Converge 101 – Ahanmisi 24, Teng 12, Murrell 11, Arana 11, Stockton 10, Tratter 9, Racal 7, Balanza 7, Franklin 4, Ebona 3, Tolomia 3.
Quarters: 29-24, 64-55, 93-78, 120-101.
– Rappler.com