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Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 96
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Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters 87
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Ginebra repulses Phoenix, eyes top seed

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ANTIPOLO — Barangay Ginebra stayed in the hunt for playoffs top seeding as the Gin Kings sustained their hot charge and dumped the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 96-87, in the third to the last play date of the PBA Governors Cup eliminations at the Ynares Sports Center here Wednesday night.

The Gin Kings waged an early breakaway and thwarted the Fuel Masters’ second-half chase for a win making the Ginebra-TNT KaTropa tiff on Sunday as a virtual playoff match for top honors in the elims.

Heading to that match over at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan, Laguna, the Texters sport a 9-1 record while the Kings carry an 8-2 mark.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone said they’re definitely going for the win versus TNT although they would not be sure who would be their quarterfinals matchup.

“First, we’re trying to learn to play same way whether we’re playing a playoff game or a non-bearing match,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

That’s their mindset against the Fuel Masters.

“Phoenix fought us tooth and nail. We thought we had a chance to really run away but they kept on hanging around with their three-point shooting,” said Cone.

“Phelps is a beast. I thought we did a good job in kind of a taming him in the first half, but he came through in the second half. But in the end, good defensive effort on our part really helped us through,” Cone also said.

Justin Browlee somehow outperformed Phelps in a duel of two of the most outstanding imports in the tourney as Ginebra foiled Phoenix’s second crack at an automatic quarterfinals entry.

Brownlee delivered 28 points that went with nine rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist as against Phelps’ 24 markers and 16 boards. Before this game, Phelps was averaging 37.2 points and 21.1 rebounds.

With a closing 5-6 slate, the Fuel Masters may face complications of a three-way tie from seventh to ninth places with Rain or Shine and either NLEX or Alaska.

Phoenix, however, gains outright quarters passage if Star turns back Rain or Shine in a key match Friday over at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Sol Mercado fired away a booming trey then Brownlee found an open defensive lane for an uncontested layup to cap a decisive 9-0 roll that broke the game wide open at 54-34.

The Gin Kings went on to close the half at 57-40 while hitting at an impressive 60-percent clip (24-of-40) as against the Fuel Masters’ 38 percent.

Brownlee, LA Tenorio and Joe Devance were three Gin Kings who had had double-digit outputs in the opening half.

Phelps made 10 points right in the opening quarter but hit the wall in the next period, going 0-of-7 from the field.

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