Ginebra halts NLEX’s unbeaten run

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Barangay Ginebra dealt NLEX its first loss of the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup with a 110-97 victory Saturday night at Calasiao Sports Complex in Pangasinan.

The Kings broke away from a two-point half time lead with a 36-point third quarter blast en route to their third win against a loss.

“It was awesome to win in front of the Pangasinan fans. Their hospitality certainly made the trip enjoyable,” said head coach Tim Cone in a tweet.

The Road Warriors, meanwhile, dropped to 4-1 behind undefeated Star and Meralco, who both have 3-0 cards.

Still moving the ball well, Ginebra led by as much as 22 points, 100-78, in the payoff period with Joe Devance leading the way with 23 points.

Justin Brownlee also had solid numbers with 22 points, 13 boards and six assists while LA Tenorio, who teamed up with Devance in the decisive second-half run, added 17 points and seven dimes.

Ginebra had 32 assists, just nine shy of last game’s output, as Scottie Thompson contributed 11 on top of his five points.

NLEX leaned on Aaron Fuller, who finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, in the losing effort. Celest Flores-Colina

The scores:

GINEBRA 110 – Devance 23, Brownlee 22, Tenorio 17, Aguilar 10, Slaughter 10, Caguioa 8, Taha 6, Thompson 5, Ferrer 3, Cruz 3, Ellis 3, Marcelo 0, Mariano 0.

NLEX 97 – Fuller 20, Quinahan 12, Fonacier 11, Alas 10, Al-Hussaini 10, Mallari 10, Lastimosa 9, Tiongson 6, Rios 4, J. Villanueva 3, Monfort 2, Taulava 0, Soyud 0, Baracael 0.

Quarters: 26-24, 50-48, 86-71, 110-97.