NorthPort and Ginebra

meet in Game 2 tonight
By Adrian Stewart Co

NorthPort Batang Pier will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in their 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel as they face off tonight in Game 2, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Batang Pier opened the best-of-five series with a convincing 124-90 win in Game 1 last Saturday. Michael Qualls led the win with 38 points and 15 rebounds, while Garvo Lanete converted six triples and finished with 24 markers, Christian Standhardinger chipped in a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds, Solomon Mercado scored 14 points, and Sean Anthony added 10.
Trailing 22-20 after the first 12 minutes, Batang Pier leaned on Qualls and Anthony in the second period to establish a 51-39 advantage at the half. Their lead later expanded to as much as 17 points in the third; however, Barangay Ginebra countered and got to within 65-52. In response, triples from Juan Nicholas Elorde and Lanete allowed Batang Pier to establish a 78-68 edge.
Into the fourth quarter, consecutive three-point conversions from Lanete and Mercado, along with inside hits from Standhardinger and Qualls, gave NorthPort their largest lead of 124-88.
Despite the loss, Justin Brownlee finished with a double-double for Barangay Ginebra on 24 points and 19 rebounds, while Stanley Pringle added 21 markers./ASC, WDJ