MANILA, Philippines – For an entire quarter, it appeared as though Ginebra was on its way to disappointing the thousands of fans who were watching them take on arch-rivals Star Hotshots in the Manila Clasico of the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup.

Star import Joel Wright was running wild, stealing errant passes and throwing down dunks in transition. Meanwhile, it appeared as though his Ginebra counterpart, Justin Brownlee, would need to score 50 points just to keep the Gin Kings in the game.

The Hotshots raced off to an 8-0 start, and were fully in control, 33-21, at the end of the first quarter. They led by as much as 17 points in the second period and it was only through Brownlee's efforts that Ginebra managed to cut the deficit to eight, 50-58, at the halftime break.

(READ: Ginebra drops Star to a new low with Manila Clasico blowout)

"Justin really carried us in the first half," Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after the game.

It was a different Ginebra team that came out in the third quarter, however. Whereas the first half was Justin Brownlee Show, in the second it was LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar who teamed up in the crucial run that put Ginebra ahead for the first time in the game.

The go-ahead bucket came not from Brownlee or even one of Ginebra's established stars, but rather from Jervy Cruz, who scored off a perfect pass from rookie Aljon Mariano to beat the third quarter buzzer and put the Gin Kings up, 78-76.

Cruz proceeded to open the fourth frame with three straight baskets, and the Gin Kings, now roared on by majority of the 16,460 fans inside the Araneta Coliseum, proceeded to cruise to victory, eventually leading by as much as 19 points en route to a 116-103 win.

For Cone, it was a relief to be able to honor the Ginebra fans with a victory over the Hotshots, especially after such a poor start to the game.

"I think that was one of the problems early in the game," he noted. "We wanted so much to reward the crowd for showing up and supporting us, that we tried to do some things that we shouldn't have been doing early in the game."

"It kind of got us out of rhythm," Cone admitted. "But it was nice to be able to reward the crowd at the end of the game."

The crowd at the Araneta on Sunday was the fourth biggest of the season, trailing only the Game 7 between San Miguel and Alaska in the PBA Philippine Cup last February (23, 616), the Manila Clasico held last Christmas (21,808), and the Manila Clasico in the All-Filipino Conference (16,576).

The Ginebra fans got their money's worth. Not only were they treated to a comeback victory, but they got another spectacular performance from Brownlee, a solid outing from rookie Scottie Thompson, a dunk show from Japeth Aguilar, and perhaps most memorably, a tremendous moment between veteran guards Mark Caguioa and J-Jay Helterbrand.

With less than six minutes left to play and Ginebra already in control, Caguioa stole an errant pass by Star's RR Garcia, then raced all the way to the other end for a lay-up and was subsequently fouled by Mark Barroca.

Helterbrand ran back to the other end of the court for a celebratory chest bump with Caguioa that drew a huge roar from the crowd who witnessed a "throwback" moment between the franchise's legendary "Fast and the Furious" duo.

"Natutuwa ako kasi maraming nagpunta at maraming nakisaya sa game na ito," said Tenorio, who had 13 points and five assists, and linked with Aguilar for several highlight-reel plays.

"Expected naman (na malaki 'yung crowd), pero hopefully, 'di lang sa games namin. Sana sa lahat ganyan, para naman maganda 'yung kalabasan at mag-enjoy pa ang mga tao," he added.

For Brownlee – who finished with 38 points and eight rebounds – being a part of the celebrated rivalry was an experience to be treasured.

"Man, it was great," he exclaimed after the game. "The fan support on both sides, it was amazing."

"It was a great experience to play in it, and that atmosphere… I can feel the intensity of the fans," he added.

"I think both teams came out and played hard and played well, and it was a great show for the fans."

It remains to be seen if there will be another meeting between the rivals this season. Ginebra's victory had given them a 6-2 record and a sure spot in the playoffs, while Star dropped to 1-6. The Hotshots will have to win all of their remaining games in order to advance to the quarterfinals.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)