Brownlee erupts with 42 points as Gin Kings bludgeon Beermen in Game 1

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra scored a massive upset over the stacked defending champions San Miguel Beer, 127-99, in Game 1 of the PBA Commisisoner’s Cup Finals, Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Justin Brownlee scattered 42 points — including 29 in the first half — to help the Gin Kings dictate the pace early on. 

“It was just one of those nights where we had it and they didn’t,”Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said. “We were firing on all cylinders and we didin’t let up.”

True enough, the crowd favorite didn’t let up.

Veteran Joe Devance stepped up big, tallying 20 points to lead all of the locals. Greg Slaughter and Mark Caguioa both chimed in 11 markers as Sol Mercado contributed 10 more.

All but two players made their share in the scoring effort for the Gin Kings, enabling the team to build a lead that swelled to as many as 39 points.

“We started hitting shots really early and it just cascaded. Justin was in his awesome self and we defended well,” Cone said.

This is Brownlee’s second 40-point performance in the last three games.

“Mark was a big lift coming late in the first. He’s a guy you have to take to account for. He’s played these big games before. You cannot just sag off and ignore him. As to Joe — he has been doing that for me. He was the new big man before the big man (modernized). His basketball I.Q. is just off the charts,” the league’s tactician said of the surprise contributions from his aging cagers.

San Miguel, for its part, was buyoed by Renaldo Balkman’s steady hands. The Puerto Rican import had 27 to go with rookie Christian Standhardinger, who finished with 26. 

Four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo added 13 points for the Beermen but that’s all the double-figure production the Grand Slam-seeking squad got.

“We’ve been humiliated by Ginebra,” San Miguel mentor Leo Austria said. “We’re not able to execute our game plan cause our talente — which we used in the playoffs—(will get us through).”

“They came out really on fire. To the letter nasunod ‘yung kanilang game plan,” he added. “The complacency? Makikita niyo.”

Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel go at it again on Sunday at the same venue.

THE SCORES:

GINEBRA 127: Brownlee 42, Devance 20, Slaughter 11, Caguioa 11, Mercado 10, Tenorio 9, Thompson 7, Ferrer 7, Mariano 4, Chan 2, Cruz 2, J. Aguilar 2, Manuel 2

SAN MIGUEL 99: Balkman 27, Standhardinger 26, Fajardo 13, Santos 8, Lassiter 6, Cabagnot 5, Nabong 5, Ross 4, Lanete 3, Ganuelas-Rosser 2, Pessumal 0

QUARTERSCORES: 35-20, 69-50, 94-75, 127-99