Some teams in the PBA have commented on the benefits of the two-week FIBA break, but the same can’t be said for the Alaska Aces.
In their return to action Friday night, the Milkmen failed to extend their winning streak to three . They were humiliated by the second-running Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters, 80-94, in a loss that saw them trail by as many as 26 points.
The loss not only ended their mini winning streak; it also wasted the performance of Jeron Teng. The sophomore forward out of La Salle led the Milkmen with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting alongside nine rebounds.
“It was terrible. We played really bad,” Teng lamented. “Phoenix really played well tonight. They started the game really wanting to win more than us. They had a good game plan also.
“Credit to them for being prepared for this game.”
But instead of sulking, Teng chooses to look at the loss as a wake-up call for the whole squad.
“Right now we don’t want to make excuses. We just want to see this as a learning opportunity for us. Wake-up call na ‘to that we still have a lot to improve on and to get better,” said the Aces’ fifth overall pick in the 2017 Draft.
Teng now has his sights set on Sunday versus the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. Though it is a daunting task to go up against the crowd darlings, Teng sees it as an opportunity to redeem themselves from Friday’s defeat.
“That’s basketball, sometimes you’re gonna have bad games. Pero what’s good about basketball is you always have an opportunity to bounce back. And ang opportunity namin on Sunday, to bounce back against Ginebra.”
