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The Meralco Bolts showed up wearing shirts with three words that read “CHOOSE TO REFUSE.”

Alas, it’s Barangay Ginebra which refused to lose, fighting back from 10 points down and playing with a lot of poise in a tight finish for a 91-87 decision in the opener of the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven finale.

Justin Brownlee and his teammates finished strong in the third period and sustained the effort to the very end to steal Game One before a crowd of nearly 11,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday night.

“It was a struggle for us. It was frustrating in some stretch. But I honestly feel this would be the kind of game we’ll play every game. It would be fight to the end,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

On the trail most of the first three quarters, the Kings rolled ahead, 89-73, on a 12-2 opener in the payoff period and hung tough to gain the series head start.