MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) The Bay Area Dragons roared back in the 2022 PBA Commissioners' Cup Finals, overpowering Barangay Ginebra 99-82 in Game 2 on Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Dragons built a double-digit advantage at the half before weathering a second half fightback by the Gin Kings en route to a relatively comfortable victory.

The result allowed Bay Area to tie the best-of-seven championship series at one game apiece, as the Dragons rebounded from a 96-81 loss in Game 1 on Christmas Day. This also marked the first time that Bay Area had beaten the Gin Kings in the conference; they dropped their elimination round match-up, 111-93.

Andrew Nicholson was superb for Bay Area, with 30 points and 15 rebounds, but it was Zhu Songwei who deservedly earned Player of the Game honors after contributing 25 points, six assists and five rebounds while leading the defensive charge against Ginebra import Justin Brownlee.

"Brownlee was a key factor, and this match-up was key," said Bay Area coach Brian Goorjian, who noted that Zhu was in foul trouble in the series opener which severely impacted their game plan.

"Tonight, he kept it under control and helped us get the lead. We also competed with them on the glass," he added. "Tonight, we defended without fouling. To move forward, we gotta stay on that page."

Hayden Blankley had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, as he also rebounded from a poor outing in Game 1. As a team, Bay Area made 50% of their shots and limited the Gin Kings to just 38.4% from the floor.

They pulled away via a 30-point second quarter that allowed them to enter the break with a comfortable 52-35 advantage. But the Gin Kings, fuelled by a crowd of over 16,000 fans at the Big Dome, mounted a second half comeback and came as close as five points, 68-63, off a Japeth Aguilar and-1 with still over 11 minutes left in the game.

It turned out to be the last stand for the Gin Kings, however. Nicholson responded with his own three-point play on the other end, sparking a 9-0 blast capped by a Blankley triple that pushed the Bay Area lead back to double digits, 77-63.

Justin Brownlee tried his best to keep Ginebra afloat, nailing three straight triples to make it a 10-point game, 82-72, with 7:20 to go. But the Dragons had too much firepower: Nicholson conspired with Blankley and Ju Mingxin to help them pull away anew.

The lead ballooned to 20 points, 99-79, with 2:18 left off two charities by Zhu and the Dragons cruised from there.

Brownlee went toe-to-toe with Nicholson and finished with 32 points, though it took him 28 field goals to get there. Jamie Malonzo was the only other Gin King in double figures with 10, as LA Tenorio was held to just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting after burning Bay Area for 22 in Game 1. Scottie Thompson had just nine points and crucially, managed only three rebounds.

The Finals will take a break before resuming on January 4 for Game 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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