Alaska drubs SMB, ends long, dry spell
Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:30 p.m. – GlobalPort vs NLEX 6:45 p.m. – Ginebra vs Star
Alaska Milk finally ended a long, frustrating five-month winless spell with a 90-79 drubbing of grand slam-chasing San Miguel Beer in a Petron Blaze Saturday Special in the PBA Governors Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Gymnasium in Angeles, Pampanga last night.
LaDontae Henton produced 36 points and 15 rebounds in an explosive double-double game while Calvin Abueva had his near double-double outing with 13 markers and nine boards as the Aces pounced on an SMB side that played without an import in the second half.
The Aces left nothing to chance, leading by as many as 17 in the fourth before wrapping up a first win in seven games in the season-ending tourney and also their first since a win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on April 2 in the last Commissioner’s Cup.
All in all, the Aces snapped a long 14-game losing streak and thus kept their playoff hopes alive in the Governors Cup.
They also ended an eightgame slump in their headto-head match-up with the Beermen. Alaska had won the last time versus SMB in their 2016 Philippine Cup title playoff where the Aces blew away a 3-0 advantage in a monumental meltdown.
Disjointed and struggling all night after a shaky start with new import Terik Bridgeman, the Beermen suffered a second straight loss and dropped down to joint eighth with the GlobalPort Batang Pier at 3-3.
SMB coach Leo Austria opted to play an all-Filipino crew in the second half as Bridgeman committed six turnovers and made only one-of-four field-goal attempts in 22 minutes of action in the first half.
The Aces took the first quarter at 19-9 and the half at 44-31, and stayed in control through the last two quarters.
The Beermen saw some opening as Henton had to sit out a few minutes in the third period after committing a flagrant foul
penalty one on Arwind Santos.
But upon his return, Henton delivered right away, and the Aces kept a double-digit spread at 63-53 going into the final canto.
It was an emotional game marked by the ejection of Chris Banchero on two technical fouls, plus two other technical infractions incurred by Calvin Abueva and Chris Ross.
With Bridgeman confined on the bench in the second half, Arwind Santos took the cudgels for the Beermen, collecting a game-high 29 points in an inspired showing before his provincemates.
Abueva, another proud son of Pampanga, also sizzled for his team, going 6-of-12 from the field that went with two assists, one steal and one block. The scores: Alaska 90 – Henton 36, Abueva 13, Thoss 12, Casio 9, Banchero 6, Galliguez 5, Enciso 45, Pascual 2, Mendoza 2, Racal 1, Magat 0, Baclao 0.
San Miguel 79 – Santos 29, Cabagnot 14, Fajardo 12, Lassiter 6, Ross 4, Heruela 4, Espinas 4, Pessumal 3, Bridgeman 2, Rosser 1, Semerad 0.