Barangay Ginebra San Miguel bested the Meralco Bolts, 88-81, in Game 1 of their PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals matchup on Monday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Justin Brownlee had 25 points, nine rebounds, six assists to help Ginebra take the 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series.
Ginebra's twin towers Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds.
After the win, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone was quick to credit the opposing team.
"Meralco has been a great defensive team all conference, and they turned this game into a defensive struggle," said Cone. "We had a really hard time finding a rhythm against their defense in the first half, we found it in the third quarter, we were able to carry it through."
It was a see-saw battle between the two heavyweights. Every run was countered with another run. As Cone mentioned, both teams were determined to deploy their defensive game plans.
Both teams shot under 45 percent from the field and neither had a huge advantage from the three-point line. In terms of rebounding, the Bolts merely had a 47-44 edge. In a game filled with 11 ties and nine lead changes, defense was key.
"They're a great defensive team, and we had to make really great shots to win, and you don't really want to rely on great shots to try to win a game. They're low percentage, they go in and everybody's happy, they don't and you're in trouble," Cone went on.
Brownlee proved to be the difference in the ball game as hit the dagger three-pointer with 25.5 seconds left to give Ginebra an 87-79 advantage. Not one to shy away from hitting crucial baskets, Brownlee's three-pointer happened to be, as his coach would attest, a great shot.
"We can't ever forget about our defense, and I think we did that today especially in the first half," Cone stressed. "Again, they are a great defensive team, and they shoot three-pointers really well. They're number one in the league in three-point shooting and number one in the league in defense. They played to their character today, especially in the first half."
Baser Amer put up 15 points and five assists for the Bolts. Import Arinze Onuaku only had 12 points but did have 18 rebounds.
THE SCORES
GINEBRA 88 - Brownlee 25, Devance 14, Slaughter 13, Aguilar 10, Chan 8, Mercado 8, Ferrer 6, Tenorio 4, Thompson 0.
MERALCO 81 - Amer 15, Dillinger 13, Onuaku 12, Caram 11, De Ocampo 9, Lanete 8, Hodge 6, Canaleta 5, Newsome 2, Hugnatan 0.
Quarters: 22-20; 38-45; 67-62; 88-81.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
Meralco was the number one defensive team after the elimination round, allowing only 88.4 points from its opponents. The Bolts were able to hold Ginebra to 88, but they weren't able to hit their shots to get the win.
Both Meralco and Ginebra were neck-and-neck in the statistical categories. Ginebra's edge came in the form of points off turnovers, outscoring Meralco, 19-10.
NEXT GAME
Game 2 will be on Wednesday, 4:30PM at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.