By JAY R. GOTERA
MANILA — The Alaska Aces mangled the Terrence Romeo-less GlobalPort Batang Pier, 107-79, Saturday night to begin their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign on a winning note.
The Aces won handily despite missing the services of four key players—Vic Manuel, JVee Casio, Dondon Hontiveros, and Noy Baclao—all sidelined by injuries. Alaska also had to make a last-minute import change after Octavius Ellis had to leave due to an urgent family matter. His replacement, Cory Jefferson, arrived in Manila only on Friday, a day before game time.
Jefferson, who once played for the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in the NBA, turned out to be a worthy replacement as he led the Aces with 28 points and 14 boards.
Calvin Abueva came off the bench to contribute 15 points, nine of them in the fourth quarter. He also collected seven boards and four assists.
GlobalPort sorely missed the hot shooting hands and dazzling moves of Romeo, its undisputed biggest star who was down with an unspecified illness.
With Romeo out, Stanley Pringle—the other half of GlobalPort’s famed “Slash Brothers”—spearheaded his team’s offense, tallying 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals in almost 40 minutes of play.
His performance even overshadowed the output of the Batang Pier import, Sean Williams, who also had NBA credentials. Williams was plagued with fouls, finishing with just 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting on top of 19 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists in just 28 minutes of play.
Sonny Thoss and Jake Pascual added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Aces.
New recruit Simon Enciso, formerly with the Phoenix Fuel Masters, chipped in eight points, six assists, and four boards.
Alaska was in full control of the game all throughout, leading by 23 points, 81-58, at the start of the fourth quarter.
GlobalPort tried to whittle down the huge gap and came to within 14 points, 81-67, with 9:28 remaining.
But Abueva and company unloaded a flurry of three-pointers to finally send GlobalPort packing for the night.
Phoenix 118, Blackwater 116 (2OTs)
Eugene Phelps lived up to his reputation as a scoring monster as he exploded for 53 points to lead the Phoenix Fuel Masters to a hard-fought 118-116 double-overtime victory over the Blackwater Elite. The prolific import also collected 21 boards and five blocks in 54 minutes of play.
JC Intal contributed 11 points while Cyrus Baguio and Willy Wilson added 10 points apiece for the Fuel Masters, who missed the services of streak-shooting rookie Matthew Wright.
Greg Smith, Blackwater’s reinforcement, also came up with huge numbers in the former NBA player’s first game in the PBA. Smith poured 37 points and a whopping 30 rebounds.
Mac Belo added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Michael Digregorio and Roi Sumang chipped in 13 and 11 markers, respectively for the Elite.
In a battle of attrition, Phelps outlasted Smith as he scored six of his team’s eight points in the second overtime period. Clearly bothered by fatigue, Smith was left scoreless in that period.
Games Sunday: NLEX Road Warriors vs. Meralco Bolts and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. Mahindra Floodbuster.
