RANGED against an equally formidable San Miguel Beer, Ginebra coach Tim Cone was the least surprised that his charges got the job done behind resident import Justin Brownlee’s new pro league career high.
“Guys just came out and played. They kept their poise,” Cone said. “They came down and got good shots. They found Justin and I think that’s really key.
“You find ways to pull out a victory (against San Miguel), because they’re really tough,” he added.
Cone spoke after Brownlee torched the Beermen with 51 points, to go with 13 rebounds, five assists and six steals in a 108-102 victory for Ginebra’s first win in Group B of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
The 6-foot-5 Brownlee simply shrugged off his epic showing and gave credit to his teammates.
“Just happy to just keep winning. We won the game and that’s what really matters,” Brownlee said. “My teammates did a great job, like coach said, in giving me open shots and giving me the ball in comfortable areas
“They got a lot of trust in me so I just try to go out there and stay aggressive and try to help out the team as much as I can.”
Japeth Aguilar added 21 markers and three boards while rookie RJ Abarrientos had 13 and three dimes as the Kings atoned for a 64-73 defeat to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their opening game last Saturday in Candon, Ilocos Sur and improved to 1-1.
Ginebra also handed its sister team its first loss after the Beermen scored a 128-108 ripping of import-less Blackwater Bossing last Sunday and fell to 2-1.
“They found Justin and that’s key. I don’t think we did that in our last game when we were up in Candon, we didn’t locate Justin at crucial times and it would have really helped us,” Cone said.
Brownlee, 36, said his duel with SMB counterpart Jordan Adams brought out the best in him.
“Jordan Adams, he’s an incredible player, he’s got a great resume, he’s played in the NBA and pretty much all over the world. I give him a lot of respect, and I respect his game,” he said. “It was a fun matchup, give a lot of credit to San Miguel, they played us tough as always and just happy we shot better than the other night.
“(Cone) gave us a lot of confidence to go out there and be aggressive, shoot your shot, if you feel comfortable, shoot it.”
Adams led four other teammates in double digits for the Beermen with 23 points, seven caroms, and four feeds while reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo got 17 and 17.
CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, and Jeron Teng also contributed 14, 13, and 12 markers, respectively for SMB.
With Brownlee turning in a dazzling effort in the Kings’ early wake up call, expect Cone’s wards to keep proving their worth.
