Converge gets fourth straight win on Christmas Day
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Christmas Clasico ends in a thriller buzzer-beater
Barangay Ginebra gave a wonderful Christmas gift to their die-hard fans by defeating the Magnolia Hotshots, 95-92, in their Christmas Manila Clasico duel on Wednesday night, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Magnolia seemed inspired to win their first back-to-back victories in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup as they erected a 55-41 halftime lead and even established a game-high 22-point lead in the third period.
But the Gin Kings displayed their never-say-die attitude to put the game in a cliffhanger showdown.
Photo Courtesy: PBA
Rookie RJ Abarrientos started the rally with nine straight points, all coming from the rainbow country. His heroics closed the gap to 67-78 at the end of the third canto.
In the final period of play, Ginebra's resident import Justin Brownlee took over and finished the battle with a game-high 28 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point territory. He also had seven rebounds and five assists.
It was a back-and-forth in the final four minutes of play until one final play was made.
Scottie Thompson put the nail in the coffin when he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the corner off a dish from Abarrientos, who was named Player of the Game after producing 20 markers (five triples), to go along with five assists, three steals, and a block.
Meanwhile, Ricardo Ratliffe paced Magnolia with 17 markers. Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, and Ian Sangalang supported their reinforcement with at least 11 points each.
The Gin Kings improved to 4-2 in the team standings and will be back in action against the San Miguel Beermen on January 5 at the Big Dome, while the Hotshots dropped to 2-5 and will try to bounce back against Terrafirma Dyip on January 10 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 95 - Brownlee 28, Abarrientos 20, Rosario 15, Thompson 14, Aguilar 8, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 5, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Mariano 0.
MAGNOLIA 92 - Ratliffe 17, Barroca 13, Lee 11, Sangalang 11, Lucero 8, Dela Rosa 8, Balanza 7, Dionisio 6, Lastimosa 6, Abueva 5, Ahanmisi 0.
Quarter Scores: 24-30, 41-55, 67-78, 95-92
