MANILA, Philippines — The slate has been cleaned in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals.
Barangay Ginebra tied the championship series at two games apiece after fending off TNT, 106-92, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After trailing 0-2 in the series, the Gin Kings forced a virtual best-of-3 in a mammoth crowd of 16,783.
Justin Brownlee spearheaded the Gin Kings with 34 points, six rebounds and four assists, his finest game in the finals thus far. Mav Ahanmisi, Japeth Aguilar and Stephen Holt added 18 markers apiece.
Ginebra did just enough damage to grab a comfortable separation against TNT in the first half, as a 3-pointer by Holt gave them a 12-point lead, 54-42, heading into the final two quarters.
This was a lead that the crowd darlings would not squander, as they had an answer for every run uncorked by the Tropang Giga.
The nearest TNT got to was four points, 65-69, after a pair of free throws by newly-crowned Best Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
However, a 10-3 run punctuated by a split from the line by Japeth Aguilar gave Ginebra a 79-68 advantage with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth, the Tropang Giga still kept in step with Ginebra, trailing by just seven, 90-97, with 3:10 to go following a layup by RR Pogoy.
But in the next possession, Ahanmisi had to hoist it up with time winding down, and his 4-pointer found the bottom of the net to keep TNT at bay, 101-90.
Poy Erram answered with a layup on the other end, but Holt’s right corner three and Brownlee’s dagger dunk put the icing on the cake.
Scottie Thompson finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Hollis-Jefferson filled the statsheet with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 47 minutes of play for the Tropang Giga. Calvin Oftana provided huge support with 26 markers, while Rey Nambatac added 15.
Game 5 of the series will be on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., at the same venue.