Gin Kings overcome huge deficit vs Bossing

MANILA, Philippines -- Barangay Ginebra’s patented "Never Say Die" attitude was on full display against the Blackwater Bissing Friday evening. 

Ginebra fended off a slow start as well as a 43_point explosion of Robert Upshaw III to blast the Blackwater Bossing, 115-108, in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup clash Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Gin Kings clawed back from 20 points down to win their fourth straight game while handing the Bossing their seventh loss in nine contests. 

Brownlee, after the game, said that the team’s battlecry was what pushed them to climb back from the early 23-3 hole, and it was also what helped them hold on late. 

“Yeah, well, our never-say-die attitude [rallied us back]. You know, we always keep that,” he told reporters after the game. 

“But like I said, gotta give a lot of credit. Blackwater, they got a talented team, but really two guys that can really score their import [Upshaw] and [Sedrick] Barefield can score as good as anybody in the league. That's been proven,” he added. 

Upshaw finished with 43 points on an efficient 13-of-20 from the field, and 3-of-6 from the 4-point territory, while Barefield tallied 25 markers and 12 dimes.

“We just tried to lock in on the defensive end, slow them down. I wanna say that in the second half, we made a real big run. And I think that kinda catapulted us the rest of the game,” he said. 

“But like I said, man, Blackwater, they kept fighting until the end. There was no backing down, no giving up on their end as well.” 

Brownlee spearheaded six Ginebra players in double figures with 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Scottie Thompson backstopped with 19 markers, nine boards and seven dimes, while RJ Abarrientos had 18 points. 

Troy Rosario, Stephen Holt and Japeth Aguilar also produced 17, 13 and 11 markers in that order. 

The Bossing jumped to a 17-1 lead earlier on, and the lead hiked to 20, 23-3. 

But Ginebra took the driver's seat in the second quarter, going up 39-38. The advantage grew to eight at the half, 50-42. 

The lead ballooned to as much as 11 points and while Blackwater fought back in the final frame, Nards Pinto and Rosario put on the finishing touches en route to the Ginebra victory.

“Well, you know, we always try to say that those starts are artificial. They aren't. It's just like one team just isn't making shots all of a sudden but we just told the guys, I think the thing we said in timeout was let's lock into the defense. You know, we'll figure them out offensively,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said. 

“The shots will start to fall but just really, we had to lock in defensively which we weren't [at that time,]” he added.