Justin Brownlee set the tone of the game for Ginebra. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) A great start, and a greater finish.

The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings used a huge first quarter to gain control of the ball game, then poured it on in the final frame to completely dominate Rain or Shine, 102-89, in Game 1 of their semifinals series on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was Ginebra’s eighth consecutive victory of the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, and it put them up, 1-0, in their best-of-five series.

Justin Brownlee set the tone of the game for the Gin Kings by scoring 16 of their 31 points in the opening period, just one fewer than the entire Rain or Shine team. The import finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists in 43 minutes of playing time.

Greg Slaughter scored 20 points, and Jeff Chan fired 21 markers in his finest game so far with Barangay Ginebra.

Making the Gin Kings’ victory all the more impressive was that it came without All-Star forward Japeth Aguilar, who was held out of the game due to “significant swelling on his Achilles tendon,” according to coach Tim Cone.

“We were trying to find minutes to give Greg breaks, and he did a great job in extended minutes,” said Cone. “We got contributions from Jervy (Cruz), Raymond (Aguilar) a little bit, to try to fill out the minutes of Japeth.”

“The best part of this game was being able to win despite not having Japeth,” he said. “Hopefully, he’ll be back for Game 2, but right now it’s 50-50.”

READ: Chris Banchero misses Game 1 due to 'significant family emergency'

Brownlee piloted Ginebra to a 31-17 advantage at the end of the opening frame, as he made seven of 10 shots including a couple of triples. The Ginebra defense also stymied Rain or Shine, as the Elasto Painters missed 20 of the 27 attempts that they put up in the first quarter.

But Rain or Shine began to claw its way back in the second period, thanks to hulking import Reggie Johnson, who scored 10 points in the frame. The Elasto Painters were down by just five, 50-45, with seconds left in the first half but Brownlee knocked down an off-balanced jump shot at the buzzer to give Ginebra momentum heading into the break.

The E-Painters managed to stay within striking distance in the third quarter, this time thanks to James Yap as the veteran guard began to wax hot from the field. They managed to trim the deficit to just five points, 79-74, with still 10:42 left to play off a Chris Tiu lay-up, giving the predominantly Ginebra crowd at the Big Dome reason to worry.

That was when the wheels fell off for Rain or Shine, however. Cone sent Brownlee back into the contest, and upon his return the Gin Kings proceeded to outscore the E-Painters, 23-4, in the next seven minutes and 30 seconds.

Chan was instrumental in the run, knocking down a triple and assisting on a Brownlee bucket, while Joe Devance, Slaughter, and LA Tenorio also found their mark. On the other end, the Gin Kings forced the E-Painters into taking long-range bombs, and the Rain or Shine players were unable to make them pay.

Ginebra went on to lead by as much as 24 points, 102-78. By the time Jewel Ponferrada finally ended the drought for Rain or Shine with a lay-up at the three-minute mark, the game was already out of hand.

“We were able to put the jets on in the end, and hit some shots,” Cone said after his team outscored Rain or Shine, 26-19, in the final period.

Johnson led Rain or Shine, the top overall seed in the playoffs, with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Yap had 14 points and Ed Daquioag added 10. But Rain or Shine’s usual reliables were limited: Gabe Norwood mustered only two points, and Tiu managed seven while Beau Belga scored only four points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Ginebra finished the game making 49.4% of their shots, while also holding the E-Painters to only 36.3% shooting from the field. The Gin Kings also had a 46-34 edge in rebounding, and assisted on 30 of their 38 made field goals in the game.

Game 2 of the series is on Tuesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The scores:

Ginebra 102 – Brownlee 35, Chan 21, Slaughter 20, Devance 12, Tenorio 5, Thompson 4, Mercado 3, Aguilar 2, Caperal 0, Manuel 0, Ferrer 0, Mariano 0

Rain or Shine 89 – Johnson 30, Yap 15, Daquioag 10, Tiu 7, Washington 6, Ponferada 6, Ahanmisi 6, Belga 4, Nambatac 3, Norwood 2, Almazan 0

Quarter scores: 31-27, 52-45, 76-60, 102-89

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