Justin Brownlee misfires as Pelita Jaya enters IBL Finals

Despite Justin Brownlee’s offensive struggles, Pelita Jaya Jakarta advanced to the Indonesian Basketball League Finals with a 90-77 victory over Prawira Harum Bandung in Game 2 of the semifinals on Saturday night at the Indomilk Arena.

The Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player was held to just five points, shooting only two of his seven field goal attempts, to go with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals for the Pelita Jaya.

Jerome Anthony Beane Jr. stepped up for Pelita Jaya with 26 points, including four three-point conversions; Andakara Dhyaksa added 15 markers; and James Dickey III and KJ McDaniels ended up with 14 points each.

Pelita Jaya Jakarta reached the finals after sweeping their best-of-three semifinal series 2-0. They will battle the Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta in the championship round beginning on August 1.

“Unlike in Game 1, we played with a system in Game 2,” said Pelita Jaya head coach Johannis Winar. “The ball movement was faster, so we managed to win convincingly here.”

Manuel Alejandro Suarez top-scored for Prawira with 24 points, Brandone Francis added 23 markers, and former PBA import Antonio Hester contributed 11 points in the loss.