The Alaska Aces had to survive a fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Blackwater Elite to carve out a 109-95 victory in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s great to start the season 2-0 and play with some energy,” said Aces head coach Alex Compton on the win. “We really respect Blackwater, they beat us fair and square last conference.”
For the second straight game, foreign reinforcement Cory Jefferson starred for the Aces, scoring 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting along with 15 rebounds.
“Cory is a great fit for us because he is not a ball dominator. Alam niya hindi siya mananalo kung mag-isa lang siya. I though he struggled a little bit early on. Buti na lang, naka-recover siya later on,” Compton remarked about their reinforcement.
Entering the third canto with a slim six-point lead, the Aces then ran hot on both ends of the floor, unleashing a wild 20-8 scoring spree capped by a Jefferson split to establish a wide 21-point gap, 72-51, with 5:51 on the clock.
The Elite managed to climb back from the deep hole come the final frame. With Reil Cervantes and Roi Sumang transpiring on offense, Blackwater were able to close in by as much as seven, 86-79, with 8:37 remaining.
But just as Blackwater were making a run, import Greg Smith then fouled out of the game with 7:28 to go after committing his sixth foul while guarding Sonny Thoss — a huge blow that hurt the Elite’s chances of trimming the deficit further.
Alaska then took advantage of Smith’s absence. They found their groove once more, not allowing Blackwater to get any closer. A Carl Cruz triple with 2:29 to go re-established a 15-point lead, 102-87, and also proved to be the final blow.
“It’s a total team effort. I’m just proud of the guys,” said Compton.
Cruz chipped in 15 markers spiked by four treys. Ping Exciminiano scored 13 along with three steals, while Kevin Racal and Thoss had 12 and 10 points respectively.
Cervantes led Blackwater with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while the foul-troubled Smith managed to finish with a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds. Sumang produced 13 markers.
Alaska shot 50 percent from the floor after nailing 42-of-84, with most of their shots accounted from the 25 team assists they had. They also made more second chance points, 18-7.
Blackwater will play Rain or Shine on Sunday, March 26, 4:30 PM at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Scores:
Alaska (109) – Jefferson 28, Cruz 15, Exciminiano 13, Racal 12, Thoss 10, Abueva 9, Galliguez 7, Pascual 5, Banchero 4, Mendoza 4, Enciso 2.
Blackwater (95) – Cervantes 21, Smith 14, Sumang 13, Buenafe 11, Belo 9, Digregorio 8, Ababou 4, Sena 4, Pascual 4, Aguilar 3, Gamalinda 2, Miranda 2, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 27-23, 52-43, 80-68, 109-95
