MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra put the shackles on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson down the stretch as it finally beat TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals, hacking out an 85-73 win in Game 3 at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, November 1.
Justin Brownlee finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks as the Gin Kings trimmed their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 1-2.
Hollis-Jefferson still churned out monster numbers of 24 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals, but he got limited to a measly 2 points in the final seven minutes.
Fourth quarter
- FINAL: Ginebra avoids a 0-3 deficit as it earns an 85-73 win in Game 3
- GINEBRA 85-73: Stephon Holt 1/2 at the stripe
- GINEBRA 84-73: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson inside
- GINEBRA 84-71: Maverick Ahanmisi sinks his freebies
- GINEBRA 82-71: Justin Brownlee with the free throw split
- GINEBRA 81-71: Glenn Khobuntin wide open inside
- GINEBRA 81-69: Maverick Ahanmisi 2/2 at the line
- GINEBRA 79-69: Maverick Ahanmisi makes it a double-digit lead
- GINEBRA 77-69: Justin Brownlee sinks the midrange jumper
- GINEBRA 75-69: Glenn Khobuntin inside
- GINEBRA 75-67: Scottie Thompson skies for the layup with 2:59 minutes left
- GINEBRA 73-67: Maverick Ahanmisi pads the Gin Kings’ lead
- GINEBRA 71-67: Justin Brownlee for three
- GINEBRA 68-67: Jayson Castro drops it off to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- GINEBRA 68-65: Roger Pogoy completes the fast break after a Rondae Hollis-Jefferson assist
- GINEBRA 68-63: Stephen Holt dials from long distance
- GINEBRA 65-63: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 2/2 at the line
- GINEBRA 65-61: Ralph Cu for three
- GINEBRA 62-61: Rey Nambatac finally scores his first basket
Third quarter
- END OF 3Q: Just like at halftime, Ginebra has a three-point lead, 62-59
- GINEBRA 62-59: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson from the baseline
- GINEBRA 62-57: Scottie Thompson knocks down the off-balanced shot
- GINEBRA 60-57: Justin Brownlee back-to-back
- GINEBRA 58-57: Justin Brownlee with the strong attack to the hoop
- TNT 57-56: Kelly Williams goes downhill to give the Tropang Giga the upper hand
- GINEBRA 56-55: Jayson Castro makes both free throws
- GINEBRA 56-53: Japeth Aguilar uncontested underneath
- GINEBRA 54-53: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 2/2 at the stripe
- GINEBRA 54-51: Jayson Castro reverse layup is good
- GINEBRA 54-49: Scottie Thompson hits the corner trey
- GINEBRA 51-49: Jayson Castro also with a split
- GINEBRA 51-48: Stephen Holts drains his freebies
- GINEBRA 49-48: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson misses the first but makes the second free throw
- GINEBRA 49-47: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson block turns into a Roger Pogoy trey
- GINEBRA 49-44: Scottie Thompson wide open for the layup
- GINEBRA 47-44: LA Tenorio continues to make his presence felt
- GINEBRA 45-44: Poy Erram tips in his own miss
- GINEBRA 45-42: Scottie Thompson splits his charity shots
- GINEBRA 44-42: Japeth Aguilar skies for the basket plus the foul, but he misses the bonus
- 42-42: Roger Pogoy ties it with a triple
Second quarter
- HALFTIME: Ginebra enters the break with a 42-39 lead
- GINEBRA 42-39: Justin Brownlee strips Calvin Oftana of the ball and goes coast-to-coast
- GINEBRA 40-39: Calvin Oftana from long range again
- GINEBRA 40-36: Calvin Oftana corner triple
- GINEBRA 40-33: Scottie Thompson scores off a nifty Joe Devance dime
- GINEBRA 38-33: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with the steal and Roger Pogoy with the finish
- GINEBRA 38-31: Maverick Ahanmisi beats the shot clock
- GINEBRA 36-31: Stephen Holt shot is good
- GINEBRA 34-31: Calvin Oftana from deep
- GINEBRA 34-28: 6-0 run by the Gin Kings after that Maverick Ahanmisi bucket
- GINEBRA 32-28: Justin Brownlee shrugs off the defense
- GINEBRA 30-28: Justin Brownlee retaliates
- 28-28: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson continues to do damage
- GINEBRA 28-26: Maverick Ahanmisi drains the long two
- 26-26: Poy Erram ties it again
- GINEBRA 26-24: Maverick Ahanmisi gets his floater to go
- 24-24: Poy Erram with the short stab
- GINEBRA 24-22: Japeth Aguilar makes the fadeaway jumper
- 22-22: A RJ Abarrientos midrange shot knots the score
- TNT 22-20: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson opens the second quarter with a trey
First quarter
- END OF 1Q: Ginebra clings to a slim 20-19 lead
- GINEBRA 20-19: Jayson Castro converts the floater
- GINEBRA 20-17: Japeth Aguilar scores
- GINEBRA 18-17: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson joins the three-point party
- GINEBRA 18-14: Jayson Castro answers with his own triple
- GINEBRA 18-11: Scottie Thompson for three
- GINEBRA 15-11: Japeth Aguilar 2/2 at the line
- GINEBRA 13-11: LA Tenorio steals and scores
- 11-11: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with the steal and the and-one play
- GINEBRA 11-8: Justin Brownlee scores over Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
- GINEBRA 9-8: LA Tenorio hits the one-handed shot
- TNT 8-7: Justin Brownlee finds Joe Devance underneath
- TNT 8-5: Poy Erram now with 6 points
- TNT 6-5: LA Tenorio makes the technical free throw
- TNT 6-4: Poy Erram again
- 4-4: Surprise starter LA Tenorio banks in the jumper
- TNT 4-2: Poy Erram completes the pick and roll play
- 2-2: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson cleans up his own miss
- GINEBRA 2-0: Stephen Holt ices his freebies for the first points of the game
Starter
- GINEBRA – LA Tenorio, Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Stephen Holt
- TNT – Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana, Poy Erram, Roger Pogoy, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Preview
Staring at a 0-2 deficit, can Barangay Ginebra finally crack TNT’s code on All Saints’ Day?
The Gin Kings seek to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole, while the Tropang Giga aim to move on the cusp of a second straight PBA Governors’ Cup title as they clash anew in Game 3 of their best-of-seven finals at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, November 1.
After absorbing a 104-88 Game 1 beatdown, Ginebra still had no answers for TNT as the latter scored another double-digit victory in Game 2, 96-84, on Wednesday, October 30.
With Ginebra’s defense daring him to shoot, TNT’s super import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made the Gin Kings pay by knocking down six of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 37-point explosion.
Hollis-Jefferson also tallied 13 rebounds and 7 assists as he completely outplayed his counterpart Justin Brownlee, who was held to only 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting by TNT’s stifling defense.
Similar to the series opener, TNT also outshined Ginebra in three-point shooting, going 14-of-37 from deep compared to the Gin Kings’ 7-of-27 clip.
Look for the Tropang Giga to bank on their rock-solid defense and the hot hands of Hollis-Jefferson once more as they try to move within a win of another Governors’ Cup crown.
Meanwhile, expect head coach Tim Cone to switch things up for Ginebra and Brownlee to bounce back big from his quiet 19-point outing as they look to finally solve TNT’s puzzle and secure a breakthrough win in the best-of-seven affair.
Game time is 7:30 pm. – Rappler.com