MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings leaned on a hot start by Stephen Holt to score a 116-102 victory over TNT Tropang 5G in Game 3 of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Averaging 0.5 point in the first two games of the series, Holt regained his shooting to end up with 23 points, including five triples and a four-pointer, as the Gin Kings took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Justin Brownlee led the way with 41 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Earl Scottie Thompson posted a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Rhon Jay Abarrientos and Japeth Aguilar had 15 and 11, respectively.
With Holt spearheading the attack, the Gin Kings surged to a quick 35-16 start in the opening quarter, a lead that later reached as high as 22 points with two minutes left in the second quarter.
The Gin Kings maintained their 20-point edge early in the third frame, but the Tropang 5G got consecutive three-pointers from Roger Pogoy to cut the deficit to 68-85 entering the fourth.
The Tropang 5G pulled even closer at eight points early in the final quarter following another Pogoy triple, but timely conversions from Abarrientos and Brownlee sealed the win for the Gin Kings.
Chris McCullough paced the Tropang 5G with a double-double of 44 points and 13 rebounds, while Pogoy and Jordan Heading contributed 28 and 11 points, respectively.
Calvin Oftana, who starred in TNT’s Game 2 win with 31 points, was held to just two points, while Rey Nambatac was scoreless off the bench./PN
BOX SCORE:
GINEBRA 116 – Brownlee 41, Holt 23, Thompson 17, Abarrientos 15, J. Aguilar 11, Rosario 9, Cu 0, Gray 0, Go 0.
TNT 102 – McCullough 44, Pogoy 28, Heading 11, Ganuelas-Rosser 9, Ferrer 4, Oftana 2, Quitevis 2, Castro 2, Nambatac 0, Galinato 0, Williams 0, Khobuntin 0.
Quarterscores: 35-16, 59-42, 85-68, 116-102.
