MANILA – Justin Brownlee delivered timely baskets in the fourth quarter to carry Gilas Pilipinas to a 103-98 victory over Macau Black Bears in an exhibition match on Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings resident import finished with a double-double of 32 points and 15 rebounds to go with five assists, one steal, and a block for Gilas.
“It was good. it feels great to be healthy,” Brownlee told the media following their come-from-behind victory. “I definitely keep working on my conditioning. I did a good job though.”
“Not only me, but a few of the guys on the team that haven’t been playing, the guys from Japan and Korea, so we’ve been doing a good job in conditioning and practicing,” he added.
Dwight Ramos added 19 markers, including two three-pointers while Ariel John Edu, Kevin Quiambao and Earl Scottie Thompson chipped in 15, 14, and 10 points, respectively.
Down by as many as 21 points in the first half, Ramos and Jaymar Perez sparked the third–quarter assault as Gilas Pilipinas trimmed the Black Bears’ advantage to 81-79.
In the fourth quarter, Brownlee waxed hot for Gilas Pilipinas with three consecutive three-pointers followed by a three-point play by Quiambao to take a 93-85 advantage.
The Black Bears trimmed the deficit to as low as 92-93, but a three-point play by Brownlee followed by timely conversions from Thompson and Ramos to seal the victory.
William Douglas top-scored for the Black Bears with 23 points, Archibald Anthony contributed 22 markers, while Jenning Leung and Omari Peek had 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Filipino-American center Quentin Millora Brown finished with six points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block for the Black Bears./PN
