There was little Justin Brownlee could do in the endgame in Game 2 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals between Ginebra and San Miguel.
Justin Brownlee was still in good spirits when he emerged from the dugout shortly after Ginebra bowed to San Miguel, 125-131, in Game 2 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals.
Brownlee was signing jerseys and posing for pictures with Gin Kings fans in the hallway leading to the exits at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Such was a reflection of his optimism on the best-of-seven series that is now tied at one game apiece.
“We’re still in the series. Obviously it’s not over. It’s tied up right now,” said Brownlee, who finished with 39 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and four blocks.
“We just gotta remain positive and not get down on ourselves. We feel like we could have won this game. Unfortunately we didn’t.”
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Down by as many as 11 points, 79-90, early in the fourth period, Brownlee and the Gin Kings slowly chipped away at the deficit.
His four-pointer with 3:07 left in regulation even gave Ginebra a 102-99 buffer. But the the Beermen proved too tough and eventually beat them in overtime behind Terrence Romeo’s brilliance.
“You gotta give them credit for tonight. They’re just a really good team, they’re tough,” Brownlee said of the Beermen.
“And if you make mistakes, they take advantage of it. And if you don’t make a mistake they still make you pay.”
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In this best-of-7, Ginebra simply has little to no room for error against the 29-time champions.
That is what Brownlee and the Gin Kings will have to address in time for Game 3 at the Dasmarinas City Arena on Sunday, October 13.
“I think we can correct some things tomorrow in film in practice. You just can’t make mistakes against this team, giving up offensive rebounds. It seemed we gave a lot of rebounds, second chance points,” he said.
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Tipoff for the pivotal Game 3 will be at 5:00 p.m.