By Jay R. Gotera
MANILA - The Alaska Aces routed the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 106-85, clinching a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night.
Its second straight win and sixth overall in 10 games also bolstered the Aces’ chances of grabbing the second seed with the twice-to-beat advantage. The slot is being contested by six other teams, namely TNT, Phoenix, Star, Ginebra, Rain or Shine and GlobalPort.
The loss sent Phoenix sliding down to the fourth spot, finishing its elimination round assignment with a 6-5 win-loss card.
Vic Manuel tallied a team-high 21 points and seven boards off the bench. Kevin Racal added 20 markers.
The Aces had a hot start, firing seven three-pointers to erect a 60-41 halftime advantage. RJ Jazul nailed four of the three-pointers as he scored all of his 14 points in the first half.
Matthew Wright was the top scorer for Phoenix, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The Phoenix rookie tried to spearhead a rally in the third quarter, scoring eight straight points, allowing the Fuel Masters to cut the Aces’ lead to just nine points, 67-58.
But Manuel sparked a 12-1 Alaska run as the Aces pulled away again, taking a 20-point lead, 79-59, which was just too much for Phoenix to overhaul.
Mahindra 106, NLEX 96
Alex Mallari came one assist short of a triple double to lead the Mahindra Floodbuster to an emphatic 106-96 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors.
Mallari exploded for a team-high 30 points, 11 of them in the final period. The former Star player also collected 10 boards and nine assists plus three steals in 37 minutes to lift Mahindra to only its third win in 10 games.
Although already out of the playoffs picture, Mahindra consoled itself with having climbed a notch higher from the bottom as it tied Meralco at 10th to 11th place in the standings.
Fellow also-rans NLEX fell to its eighth loss in 10 games to remain glued at the bottom.
Rookie Reden Celda also sparkled for Mahindra, finishing with a career-high 18 points, scoring half of them in the final quarter when the Floodbuster outscored the Road Warriors, 29-19.
Gilas cadet Russell Escoto suffered a left knee injury in the first half that saw him leave the Cuneta Astrodome in crutches. Despite the injury, Escoto managed to score 12 points in 12 minutes for Mahindra.
Eric Camson tallied a team-high 17 points and six boards for NLEX, which played minus injured starter Sean Anthony.
Games Saturday: Star Hotshots (5-4) vs. Meralco (3-7) and San Miguel Beer (9-1) vs. TNT KaTropa (6-4).
