Enciso sinks 9 treys as Aces rip Texters
Simon Enciso staged a shooting clinic night and went on to lead Alaska past TNT KaTropa, 125-96, in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Enciso had nine threepointers, seven in the first half, and finished with 30 points, way beyond his average of 7.4 points in the previous conference.
“I just took it one shot at a time,” said Enciso who went nineof-12 from beyond the arc. He had five triples in the opening minutes as Alaska pulled away early, 19-5.
His nine three-pointers now rank as the all-time franchise record for locals.
The Aces never looked back and blew their opponents off the court. They enjoyed their biggest lead at 37 points in the opening minute of the final quarter.
“I’m blown away. We were on fire. That’s clearly typified by Simon. He was on fire and that was great,” Alaska coach Alex Compton told reporters.
The Aces bounced their way inside their dugout after a 2-0 start that gave them the early lead in the team standings.
Import Mike Harris, at 35 the oldest among the current batch of imports, played like he was trying out for the varsity team. He had 24 rebounds and 16 points.
Chris Banchero directed the offense for Alaska with 14 assists.
While Alaska celebrated a hot start, TNT fell to 1-3. They changed import Mike Glover after only one game but still could not buy a win with Stacy Davis.
After the loss, it took a while before the coaching staff entered the dressing room. Their heads bowed, they took a long huddle by the door.
Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. But most of them came when the issue had been settled – early on.
In the other game, Phoenix completed the night of blowouts by scoring an unimaginable 41-point win over NorthPort, 132-91.
Phoenix, which joined Alaska on top, erected a 44-point lead over late in the game en route to its biggest winning margin in franchise history.
First Game Alaska 125 – Enciso 30, Manuel 18, Harris 16, Banchero 15, Exciminiano 8, Galliguez 8, Baclao 7, Andrada 6, Pascual 4, Casio 3, Racal 2, Teng 2, Magat 2, Cruz 2, Potts 2.
TNT 96 – Davis 26, Rosario 16, Castro 13, Pogoy 10, Romeo 9, Cruz 6, Carey 6, Williams 5, Semerad 5, Golla 0, Paredes 0, Reyes 0, Tamsi 0.
Quarterscores: 35-13, 68-39, 103-68, 125-96. Second Game Phoenix 132 – Phelps 30, Perkins 18, Jazul 15, Abueva 12, Eriobu 10, Revilla 9, Intal 7, Chua 7, Mendoza 6, Wilson 5, Gamboa 3.
NorthPort 91 – Woods 42, Taha 15, Grey 7, Guinto 6, Elorde 6, Javelona 5, Espinas 4, Flores 4, Tautuaa 2, Gabayni 0.
Quarterscores: 37-28, 60-43, 94-62, 132-91