CAGAYAN de Oro City – Defending champion Barangay Ginebra brouth down Phoenix, 101-99, in a tight and exciting game in  the Petron Blaze Saturday Special in the PBA Governors Cup at the Xavier University gym.

Justin Brownlee  finished with game-highs of  34 points and 15 rebounds, Joe de Vance added 15 points and Scottie Thompson contributed 12  points and 14 rebounds for the  Gin   Kings, who needed a  strong  finish  to subdue the Phoenix  and   took over the top spot with a  5-1 win-loss  record.

Phoenix  had  a   chance to send the  game  into  overtime --  or even win it with a triple --  after Brownlee split his free throws left the score at 101-99.

But Matthew Wright, who earlier hit  a  difficult  three-pointer to make it 99-100 with still 20 seconds left, turned  the  ball over with four seconds remaining.

Wright topscored for Phoenix with 27 points, while limport Eugene  Phelps added  23 points and Calvin Abueva  had  17.

The Fuel Masters dropped to 5-2.

Action  returns at the Araneta Coliseum with Talk N Text taking on NorthPort at 4:30 p.m. and Magnolia battling San Miguel Beer at  6:45 p.m.

The Texters  have won two straight games after changing imports twice and overhauling their coaching staff that saw coach Nash Racela go on indefinite leave.        

After Racela’s departure, the Texters defeated  Columbian Dyip, 118-84, last Sept 2 under interim coach  Eric  Gonzales and beat Rain or Shine, 110-192, in an out-of-town game in Passi, Iloilo under new coach  Bong Ravena.

A third straight win, however, is  not expected to come easy even if the Texters will be playing a winless Batang Pier.

The  Batang Pier have lost five straight games, but coach Pido Jarencio  remains confident that  they can still turn things around with  Stanley Pringle back in full harness.

In the  second game, the Hotshots  hope  for a  fitting ollow-up to  their 92-76 win over the E-Painters last Sept. 26 and improve  their 3-1 record.

But the Hotshots have to do it against the Beermen, who will unveil  former Utah Jazz Kevin Murphy as they  look   to bounce back strong  after a 102-110 loss to  the Gin Kings.

After going 2-2 with  the injury-hit AZ Reid,  San Miguel has decided  to bring  in   Murphy, who  boasts of  a  wealth  of playing experience, including stints in France,  Japan, China  and Croatia.

The scores:

Ginebra (101) -- Brownlee 34, Devance 15, Thompson 12, Tenorio 10, Caperal 8, Ferrer 8, Mariano 6, Caguioa 4, Chan 4.

Phoenix (99) -- Wright 27, Phelps 23, Abueva 17, Perkins 13, Jazul 6, Chua 5, Intal 4, Wilson 2, Alolino 2, Revilla 0.

Quarterscores: 19-22, 49-52, 78-72, 101-99.