Barangay Ginebra San Miguel took Game 2 after a thrilling 104-103 victory over Meralco in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday evening.
Resident import Justin Brownlee, who scored 39 points for the Kings, knocked down a crucial three-point shot with 10.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter for a one-point lead.
Ginebra fortified its defense in the dying seconds to clinch the win and the 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series.
“Tonight, we jumped on the broad shoulders of Justin, and we have done that in the past. But we also realized that we can’t do that every night and we've got to do better in our next game,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.
Scottie Thompson scored 19 points for the Kings while Maverick Ahanmisi dropped 15 points as they are on the verge of a series sweep.
Allen Durham’s 39-point, 14-rebound output for the Bolts fell short as they are one loss away from getting eliminated.
In the first game, San Miguel Beer delivered a 107-100 win over Converge to take Game 2 in their best-of-five quarterfinal series.
EJ Anosike scored 41 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Beermen are on the verge of a series sweep of their best-of-seven series.
“We did better now. We were composed, especially in the last six minutes. The players really found a way to win now,” San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent said.
June Mar Fajardo had a double-double night for the Beermen with 15 points and 16 rebounds, as they hold a 2-0 lead.
Jalen Jones scored 36 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.
Game 3 for both series takes place at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Monday, with Ginebra facing Meralco at 5 p.m. and San Miguel taking on Converge at 7:30 p.m.