Jay R. Gotera
Saudi Gazette
MANILA — The Manila North 3X3 FIBA tandem of Vic “The Muscleman” Manuel and Calvin “The Beast” Abueva powered the Alaska Aces to a masterful conquest of highly rated Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 114-98, in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Manuel was simply unstoppable in the paint, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The tireless Abueva added 15 points and five boards.
Sonny Thoss and JVee Casio added 17 points apiece while Chris Banchero chipped in 14 markers in a balanced Alaska offense.
Alaska was all business right from the start, racing to a 19-8 lead. The Aces stretched their lead to 20, 42-22, in the second quarter before the Texters made their counterattack to cut the deficit to, 49-40. But the Aces once again proved unstoppable in the second half as they cruised to victory. Alaska dominated TNT in the paint, scoring 62 inside points to Alaska’s 38. The Aces also had 11 fastbreak points to the Texters’ 4.
Gilas Pilipinas veterans Ranidel de Ocampo and Jayson Castro led TNT with 26 and 19 points, respectively. De Ocampo also had a team-high 15 boards.
Top pick Moala Tautuaa was a disappointment with just two points and four boards to his name while No.2 pick Troy Rosario also had a forgettable game with only four points and two rebounds to his credit.
NLEX Road Warriors 90, Blackwater Elite 86
New acquisition Sean Anthony, formerly from Meralco, delivered the goods for NLEX, leading the Road Warriors to a 90-86 come-from-behind victory over a new-look Blackwater Elite team.
Anthony nearly had a triple double of 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his debut for his new team. Fresh from his stint in the 2015 FIBA Asia as a member of Gilas Pilipinas, Asi Taulava was actually the top scorer for NLEX with 19 points.
Rookie Simon Enciso also made a splash in his first game in the PBA, scoring 15 points.
The Elite torched the net with their three-point bombs in the first two quarters to take a 33-22 lead heading into halftime.
The Road Warriors finally made their move, led by their rookie Enciso who scored nine straight points, to cut Blackwater’s lead to one, 42-41, at the half. NLEX grabbed the lead in the third canto and stayed on top by seven, 85-78, midway in the final quarter.
Blackwater came roaring back with a 6-0 run. But four straight free throws from Taulava kept NLEX on top, 88-86, with 19 seconds left. After a Blackwater timeout, Reil Cervantes went for the win with a three-point attempt but missed as Anthony sealed the victory with a free throw.
Rookie Keith Agovida led Blackwater with 15 points in an impressive PBA debut.
Game Saturday: San Miguel Beermen vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier.
