Ginebra storms back from 17 down, routs Star in huge #ManilaClasico comeback

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings fell behind early but proved that “never-say-die” is alive and well as they came back in a big way to put one over sister team and Manila Clasico rival Star, 116-103, in the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Import Justin Brownlee led the Kings with 38 big points while Japeth Aguilar added 21 markers, including several dunks that pleased the crowd to no end.

Sol Mercado added 14 points and a game-high seven assists while LA Tenorio added 13.

Star opened the game with a huge run and took leads of as high as 17 but crumbled in the second half as Ginebra came charging back in the third and fourth quarters, where the Kings outscored them by 21 points.

Ginebra improved to 6-2 while adding to the woes of Star, which dropped down to 1-6 in a disappointing campaign this conference.

Marc Pingris and Joel Wright led Star to a blistering start as they opened the game on an 8-0 run.

Brownlee scored to give the Kings their first points of the game but five straight points from PJ Simon, including a big three-pointer, made it a 17-2 start for the red-hot Hotshots.

The first quarter closed with Star leading by double-digits, 33-21, led by Wright’s 14 points.

Wright twice reached in for steals in the second quarter and broke away for highlight-reel dunks in transition. His second gave Star a 56-45 lead with 56 seconds left in the half, prompting the import to show his intensity by clapping repeatedly in front of Brownlee.

Brownlee responded with a three-pointer that made it an eight-point game and Mercado returned the favor with a celebration of his own, but was docked with a technical foul.

Star entered the half with a 58-50 lead with the two imports playing starring roles. Wright led the Hotshots with 20 points but Brownlee topped that by scoring 23, though his team was behind at the break.

Simon and Pingris made some big plays in the third to keep Star in front but back-to-back baskets from Aguilar, the latter a huge jam off a pick and roll with Tenorio, swung momentum Ginebra’s way.

Brownlee made a basket in the paint and Scottie Thompson scored off a tip-in before Tenorio escaped for an uncontested layup to tie the game at 67-all after a 10-0 run.

The run didn’t end there, though. Aguilar muffed a dunk attempt during a fastbreak but Tenorio made up for it by knocking down a triple, 70-67, that finally gave Ginebra the lead for the first time in the game.

RR Garcia tied the game at 76-apiece late in the third but Star failed to get a stop in the dying seconds as Ginebra broke their press and created an open look for Jervy Cruz that beat the buzzer.

Cruz then opened the fourth with three straight baskets, padding the lead back up to eight, 84-76, before Star was able to score its first basket of the quarter.

Mercado created separation for the Kings, though, after knocking down a triple and jumping into the passing lane for a steal that he dribbled all the way to the other end for a layup. That pushed the Ginebra lead up to double-digits, 94-82.

Brownlee would later hit another triple and Mark Caguioa made a steal that he turned into a three-point play on the other end that made it a 15-point lead, 102-87.

Brownlee and Mercado each knocked down triple and Aguilar capped the game by finishing an alley-oop lob from Tenorio in transition with a monster two-handed slam for a whopping 19-point lead, 112-93, with 2:44 remaining. - Interaksyon