Ginebra's Brownlee moves on from crucial lapses vs NorthPort

MANILA, Philippines — Following costly errors in the end-game of their close loss to NorthPort, Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee is keeping his sights forward.

The Gin Kings almost completed a patented "Never Say Die" game on Wednesday against the red-hot Batang Pier squad.

Trailing by as much as 18 points in the third quarter of the game, Ginebra slowly nipped away the lead and eventually grabbed a one-point advantage, 101-100, with about seven minutes to go.

But NorthPort recovered, grabbing an eight-point lead, 117-109, with 70 seconds left in the contest.

However, the stubborn Ginebra squad, led by Brownlee, stormed back, slicing the deficit to three, 114-117, with 37 ticks remaining.

After a gallant defensive effort and with 8.9 seconds on the clock, Brownlee was fouled from beyond the arc. With the chance to tie the game, he made the first but missed the second. He then connected on the final free throw to make it a one point game, 116-117.

On the other end, NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon split from the line, keeping a window of opportunity open for the Gin Kings. As time trickled down, Brownlee grabbed the ball, drove to the basket, but slipped and committed a turnover.

Kadeem Jack made his first and missed the second as time expired, giving the Batang Pier their first win over Ginebra in five years.

After the game, Brownlee underscored that he needs to be “even more focused” moving forward.

“That's a lot of pressure, you know, to make those shots, and I wish I could have. I was locked in and I thought I could do it, but that last one just barely rolled out,” he told reporters.

“That's just how it is sometimes, you know, but still just gotta be better and be even more focused so I can knock those free throws down for my team,” he added.

About his crucial turnover, Brownlee said that he just felt like he missed a step.

“I don't know. I just tried it. I saw the opening where I thought I could take, and unfortunately, I don't know if it was a wet spot or maybe my shoes or whatever, but it just felt like my feet just came from under me,” he said.

“So, you know, things like that happen, all the time throughout the game. So, can't dwell on it. You know, it is what it is at this point. Can't do anything about it now,” he added.

He also tipped his hat to the performance of the Batang Pier.

“Just give a lot of credit to NorthPort. They really deserved this win. They played great, led by their import. The import [Jack] and Arvin [Tolentino] and Munzon, they had a great night tonight, so a lot of credit to them,” he said.

For his part, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone stressed that they should have played better from the get-go, but acknowledged the great game of their opponents.

“They played really well. They gave our defense fits all game,” Cone said.

“We had problems stopping them. Munzon and Arvin are both playing MVP level and their import’s a great fit. So, nothing we could have done to stop them tonight,” he added.

“We start flat, but they came out ready. Tried to make it right at the end, but as I told the team, we never should have gotten to that. We should have played better from the start.”