Jay R. Gotera
MANILA — The Alaska Aces came out with all guns ablaze to demolish the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 128-102, Saturday night for their second win in three outings in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The Aces shot an insane 58 percent from the floor, making 49 of 85 shots, as they broke the game wide open in the third quarter.
Their third loss in three games sent the Painters crashing to the bottom of the standings in the company of the Star Hotshots.
Calvin Abueva put on a rare shooting exhibition, knocking one incredible shot after another, to lead the Aces with 25 points.
High-flying import Shane Edwards added 23 points, while Vic Manuel was just as explosive with 20 markers, 12 of them scored during Alaska’s breakaway in the third quarter.
Three other Aces scored in double digits with RJ Jazul posting 15 points, Chris Banchero with 14 and Sonny Thoss with 10, including his first three-pointer in five PBA seasons. Thoss drilled a rare triple midway through the third quarter, sparking a huge Alaska run.
Chris Tiu and new import Antoine Wright led ROS with 21 points apiece. However, Wright failed to score in the fourth quarters as the Painters looked listless on defense, failing to mount even a semblance of a rally to the visible dismay of coach Yeng Guiao.
Tropang TNT 108, Phoenix 96
The defending champion Tropang TNT Texters snapped a three-game losing streak, defeating the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 108-96, to jump from the bottom to nearly the middle of the pack in the team standings.
Prolific new import David Simon joined forces with local TNT stars Ranidel de Ocampo and Jayson Castro to lift the Texters to their second win in the conference. Simon was impressive for a second straight game for TNT, posting a monstrous double-double 33 points and 22 rebounds. De Ocampo and Castro added 20 and 19 markers, respectively.
The Fuel Masters suffered their second straight defeat after winning their opener. Phoenix was led by its new import Kevinn Pinkney who posted a respectable 26 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, and one block. However, he shot just 6-of-21 from the field. JC Intal and RR Garcia added 16 and 14 points, respectively for Phoenix.
The Texters stepped on the gas from the get-go, racing to a 17-2 lead, and never looking back. They were explosive on offense—registering a 51 percent shooting average—and stingy on defense—limiting the Fuel Masters to just 38 percent shooting.
Games Sunday: GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-1) vs. Meralco Bolts (4-0) and Barangay Ginebra Kings (1-2) vs. Star Hotshots (1-3).
