It takes one to know one.
And for Alaska Aces to make it a hard night for Phoenix Super LPG’s top sniper Matthew Wright, they went to one of their resident shooters in Mike DiGregorio.
Sure, there’s a few inches of disparity in terms of height between the two gunners. But the 6-foot-1 guard willingly took on the unenviable task.
Wright still finished with a game-high 27 points, but he only made eight of the 20 shots he took. He also had five turnovers, and was a minus-12.
The Fil-Canadian cager managed to get his flow going late in an effort to bring his team back from 15 down, but it was all too late.
The Fuel Masters lost, 97-105.
“I’d like to credit Mike DiGregorio. The second half, he did a solid job in doing the small details defensively that we asked of him,” Coach Jeff Cariaso said.
“Obviously, no one’s gonna be able to stop Matthew, but he made it hard for him and that’s all we could ask for,” he furthered.
There really is no denying what DiGregorio can do on offense, with 21 in the win. But he proved Thursday that he can be as reliable on the other end.
After all, defense is what Cariaso puts a premium on.
“We ask everyone to defend — to be ready to defend, to understand that that’s what’s gonna keep you on the court.”
