Rosario stars as Gin Kings trounce Beermen

MANILA, Philippines -- Troy Rosario fashioned out his best game in a Barangay Ginebra jersey as the Gin Kings bested the San Miguel Beermen, 93-81, in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup matchup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Rosario posted an impressive double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Gin Kings, who waxed hot in the second quarter and never looked back en route to the victory.

The Gin Kings outscored the Beermen 31-16 in the second frame and held off numerous runs by their opponents to win their second straight game.

Justin Brownlee contributed 19 points, seven boards, three swats, two dimes and a steal for Ginebra.

The two teams were kept in a 16-all deadlock after the first quarter. This continued in the second quarter, with a Juami Tiongson triple giving San Miguel a 21-18 lead.

But Ginebra started to erupt, unleashing a 15-2 run capped by a pair of free throws by Brownlee to grab a 36-23 lead.

This set the tone for the rest of the way, as the Gin Kings lead grew to as much as 20 points, 54-34, after a Rosario layup at the 7:21 mark of the third.

But San Miguel slashed the lead to half, 56-66, after a 3-pointer by Jericho Cruz with 10:16 left.

However, Rosario’s 3-pointers and a Brownlee slam kept the Beermen at bay, 74-59.

The defending champions tried to come back once again, cutting the lead to nine, 79-88, with 1:46 to go.

Finishing touches by Brownlee, though, slammed the door shut for the Beermen.

After the game, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone lauded his team and Rosario for the great defensive performance. 

“I just think our guys really, you know, came out and just played great on the defensive side. I remember looking up at the score and they had like 25 points with about four minutes left in the half and I was going, wow, how'd we do that? I couldn't figure it out,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone told reporters. 

“But just a lot of heart led by this guy [Rosario.] I mean, he was all over the floor. He's always been all over the floor defensively for us and on the boards and been that X-factor for us. But tonight he was also huge on the offensive side, knocking down shots, getting offensive rebounds,” he added. 
“So, you know, Troy kind of represented our performance tonight and I thought we just really played hard. And again, Troy kind of represents that for us.” 

Stephen Holt provided 15 points for Ginebra, while Japeth Aguilar added 11. Scottie Thompson chipped in a near triple-double of eight points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

Jabari Narcis powered the Beermen with 17 markers and 10 boards. Perez added 14, while June Mar Fajardo had 12 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks.

Ginebra rose to 5-2 in the season, while San Miguel dropped to 3-4.