Hero again: Brownlee sinks game-winner as Ginebra survives Meralco to close in on semis

Count on Justin Brownlee (197-F-1988, college: St.John's) to save the day for Barangay Ginebra. Brownlee hit the game-winning three-pointer as the Gin Kings escaped with a thrilling 104-103 victory over Meralco to zero in on a semifinal berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 28. Stellar on both ends in the endgame, Brownlee finished with 39 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, allowing Ginebra to gain a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five quarterfinals. His biggest play came with just 10.1 seconds remaining as Brownlee drained a gutsy triple over rival import Allen Durham (198-F/C-1988, college: Grace Christian) to give the Gin Kings the lead and, eventually, the sweet triumph. Before that, Brownlee blocked Durham, denying the Bolts a chance to extend their 103-101 lead and setting himself up for his heroic shot. “Tonight, we jumped on the broad shoulders of Justin. We’ve done that many times in the past,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone. “We also have a realization that we cannot do that every night and we’ve got to be able to do better in our next game. But tonight was just his night.” “It was amazing. We’ve seen so many amazing games of Justin winning games down the stretch and this is just another one of them. Add that to the list.” Durham chalked up 39 points with 14 rebounds, but his herculean effort went for naught as Meralco teeters on the brink of an early playoff exit. Game 3 is on Monday, September 30, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Courtesy of: rappler.com