Tenorio, Brownlee push Ginebra past Magnolia to avoid PBA semis sweep

LA Tenorio made the game-winning basket while Justin Brownlee matched his career-high and reigning two-time champion Barangay Ginebra escaped Magnolia, 107-103, in Game 3 to stay alive in their 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals series Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tenorio hit a floater that put the Gin Kings in front for good, 105-103, with 14.9 seconds left before the Hotshots failed to score on the other end after Paul Lee’s deep 3-pointer hardly hit the front of the rim.

Brownlee led the Kings’ comeback from 18 points down in the third quarter en route to a 46-point night on top of 19 rebounds and three blocks while Tenorio unleashed 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

“We certainly didn’t invent the NSD (never-say-die) it was Sonny Jaworski, but we’re proud to represent the NSD and we lived up to that moniker,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, whose squad forced a Game 4 on Friday night at Ynares Antipolo.

“We’re happy to be alive and kicking but that’s not that we’re here for. We’re here to win this series,” Cone added. “I just hope our guys understand that. Don’t rest on their laurels if they were able to pull off one game.”

Brownlee fired 18 points in the third quarter alone then added nine more in the final frame, where the two teams went back-and-forth inside the last two minutes.

Romeo Travis was held to a career-low 12 points but he nearly won it for the Hotshots after scoring back-to-back clutch baskets that gave his team a 103-101 edge with 53 ticks to go.

Ginebra guard Scottie Thompson added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists and had a key putback to tie it up at 103 with 40.3 seconds remaining.