MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings kept its title-retention bid alive with an 80-72 win over TNT KaTropa in Game 3 of the 2019 Honda PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals last night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
LA Tenorio played almost the entire match to top-score with 16 points while Justin Brownlee flirted with triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The Kings cut the series deficit to 1-2 in the best-of-five series.
Negrense Joe Devance came alive in the second half to finish with 13 points, with three outside hits, while Earl Scottie Thompson contributed 10 markers for the defending champions.
The Kings surprised the KaTropa with an unusual starting five with Tenorio, Thompson, Brownlee, Mark Caguioa, and Stanley Pringle and they surged to a 21-10 start.
TNT got some hits late in the period to come to within seven.
The KaTropa pulled even closer at 30-34 midway in the second period but the Kings got answers on a triple by Pringle and inside hits by Caguioa and Thompson for a 42-32 halftime edge.
TNT owned the third period with Terrence Jones spearheading the attack from inside. They turned the 10-point deficit to a 57-all count heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams were exchanging leads in the fourth with the KaTropa on top 60-59 before the Kings pulled away with triples from Pringle and Brownlee for a 65-60 edge and prevent TNT from coming close with free throws.
Jones finished with double-double 24 points and 18 rebounds.
Jeth Troy Rosario added 12 markers while Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy had 10 markers apiece for the KaTropa./PN
