A poised Alaska Aces squad showed up in the fourth quarter to avert a comeback attempt by the Star Hotshots, lifting them to an 85-69 win on a PBA out of town gameday at Panabo Multi-Purpose Tourism, Sports Cultural Center in Davao.
In the lowest scoring outing of the Governor’s Cup, the Aces’ defense limited the Hotshots to seven second quarter points to take a 16-point lead at halftime. With the interior of the Aces producing against Star’s, Alaska pushed their advantage to as high as 20 at 45-25.
Things then started to click for the Hotshots offensively, as they tallied their best scoring period during the third. Star outscored the Aces 25-12 prior to the final quarter.
An aggressive Joel Wright attacked relentlessly in the fourth quarter to further push their run. From free throws to transition plays, Alaska saw their lead evaporate under Star’s surge. With 5:50 left, the Hotshots trimmed the lead to 66-63.
Ladontae Henton stopped the bleeding with two huge triples on the other end to restore a more comfortable cushion. A balanced scoring by the Aces down the stretch, including key baskets from Kevin Racal and Sonny Thoss, was instrumental in keeping Star in the game. A distraught Hotshots crew scored just six points from that point.
Star converted more foul shots at 19/29 compared to Alaska’s 8/15 clip. However, the Aces shot five more three-pointers at 7/27 against the Hotshots’ dismal 2/15. Moreover, the Aces committed less errors, 20-16.
Henton finished the night with 27 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Calvin Abueva had a silent double-double of 10 markers and 10 boards for Alaska.
Wright was a one-man wrecking crew for Star, with 30 points and 22 huge boards in the loss. RR Garcia chipped in 15.
Alaska(2-4) will look to build on this win and next face the San Miguel Beermen(4-2) on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Meanwhile, Star(1-5) have now lost three straight outings, and will have the Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel(4-2) as their next assignment in another chapter of ‘Manila Clasico’ next Sunday, also at the Big Dome.
The scores:
Alaska (85) – Henton 27, Abueva 10, Thoss 8, Baclao 8, Racal 6, Casio 5, Jazul 5, Galliguez 3, Banchero 3, Hontiveros 3, Magat 2, Dela Rosa 0
Star (69) – Wright 30, Garcia 15, Pingris 8, Melton 4, Simon 3, Barroca 3, Maliksi 2, Yap 2, Sangalang 2, Reavis 0, Pascual 0, Brondial 0
Quarterscores: 16-18, 41-25, 57-50, 85-69
*Photo by PBA Images
