PBA: Ginebra hammers Columbian, climbs to sixth place

Barangay Ginebra jumped from the 10th seed to the sixth spot after demolishing Columbian, 134-107, in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings improved to a 4-5 record to join a three-way tie with Magnolia and Globalport in the middle of the pack while the Dyip, who entered the game as the seventh seeds, dropped to ninth to tie Phoenix with 4-6 cards.

It was in the second quarter that Ginebra showcased its talents and break away from the 30-29 opening period.

Justin Brownlee’s jumper capped off Ginebra’s 14-5 run for the 45-34 lead to start the second quarter.

Although the Dyip managed to cut the deficit to three, 50-47, the Gin Kings responded with a 12-2 run with Japeth Aguilar scoring four straight points to give the Ginebra the 62-49 lead to end the first half.

“They jumped out on us early, and then our defense settled in,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone as his team notched three straight wins. “We can still get a couple of rungs higher. The winning streak doesn’t really mean anything.”

Brownlee finished with 24 points and 10 boards to lead the Gin Kings while Scottie Thompson put up his third career triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Mark Caguioa scored eight points to move to 15th in the all-time scoring list with 9,931 career points.

Jeff Chan had four points, three rebounds, and two assists in his first game with the Gin Kings after getting traded from Phoenix.

John Fields led the Dyip with 30 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists.