After winning their 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup opener versus the Columbian Dyip in convincing fashion last May 19, things suddenly spiraled down for the Alaska Aces.
The Aces dropped their next two matches against the NorthPort Batang Pier and the Terrence Jones-led TNT KaTropa. In those defeats, they lost by an average margin of 18.0 points.
Jeron Teng knows well how much his team struggled in those outings. So come their meeting with NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday, the sophomore forward looked to step up for Alaska.
Teng did. And he even emerged as the best Milkman in the game.
The decorated La Salle product churned out 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, along with four assists and a steal, to lead Alaska to a 100-87 victory over the Tony Mitchell-led NLEX.
“I just knew I had to step up kasi we struggled for the last two games, and I really wanted to show more effort in tonight’s game,” said Teng after the win that improved their card to 2-2.
“It’s not about scoring. I really focused on rebounding, helping my team. Sinipagan ko talaga in tonight’s game.”
Another commendable part of Teng’s performance was the way he shot the ball. Aside from a 46-percent clip from the field, Teng shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.
That was his best shooting outing from the foul line so far in the mid-season tilt. For Teng, he’s always about improvement.
“That’s what I’ve really been working on. I know my weaknesses naman, so part of it is working on my shooting,” said the second-generation cager.
“It’s continuous improvement for me.”
