The Muscle Man was the hero the Alaska Aces needed
Vic Manuel’s stellar campaign in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup continued on Saturday, as this time he nailed the game-winning bucket to lift the Milkmen past Renaldo Balkman and the San Miguel Beermen, 105-103, in Dumaguete City.
Manuel sank his running one-hander as time expired to help the Aces repel the Beermen, who went down by as much as 22, 48-72, with 6:40 left in the third quarter before coming back to force two deadlocks inside the final 2:05.
The 30-year-old finished with a team-high 23 points on 50 percent shooting, along with five rebounds, in over 22 minutes of playing time. This is now the fourth straight game that Manuel has scored over 20 points.
The Aces have now collected their fourth straight win and have improved to 4-1, forcing a three-way tie at the top of the team standings with the TNT Katropa and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. The Beermen, meanwhile, are now 0-3.
Jvee Casio supplied 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting alongside four assists for Alaska. Backcourt partner Chris Banchero was just a dime short of a double-double, finishing with 15 points and nine feeds with two steals.
Import Antonio Campbell, despite having three fouls in the opening frame, still managed to put up 13 points and 13, rebounds. Star forward Calvin Abueva also made his presence felt with 13 markers as well, with 12 caroms.
The loss spoiled the long-awaited debut of Balkman, but the Puerto Rican was nevertheless impressive in his PBA return, as he top-billed for the Beermen with 32 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Balkman — with 19.2 seconds left, and the score tied at 103 — had a chance to give the Beermen the edge off an isolation play, but Campbell stripped him of the ball. That stop ultimately led to the Manuel game-winner.
Christian Standhardinger had another solid outing for San Miguel, pumping 22 points and six rebounds. Marcio Lassiter supplied 20 points on three triples, while Arwind Santos provided 12 markers and six caroms as well.
Alaska will next face the GlobalPort Batang Pier on June 2, Saturday, at 4:30 PM, while San Miguel will aim to end their skid versus the Phoenix Fuel Masters on May 30, Wednesday, at 7:00 PM. Both games are at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
Alaska (105) – Manuel 23, Casio 18, Banchero 15, Campbell 13, Abueva 13, Racal 7, Magat 5, Thoss 4, Exciminiano 3, Enciso 2, Teng 2, Baclao 0, Pascual 0.
San Miguel (103) – Balkman 32, Standhardinger 22, Lassiter 20, Santos 12, Fajardo 7, Lanete 6, Cabagnot 4, Ross 0.
Quarterscores: 28-20, 57-43, 81-72, 105-103.
