Calvin Abueva led Alaska with 21 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back from illness, which has coincided with the Aces’ return to their winning ways after four straight defeats.
The result took the Batang Pier officially out of contention after suffering their 11th loss in 12 games, while giving the Aces a better chance at finishing in at least sixth to avoid a twice-to-beat disadvantage in the quarterfinals.
But Alaska had to survive a late scare from GlobalPort, which rode on the hot hand of Rey Guevarra to cut a 12-point fourth quarter deficit down to just two points, 79-77. The Aces responded with seven straight points to gain more breathing room.
The Batang Pier still had plenty of fight in them, as Guevarra strung four straight points to keep within striking distance, 86-81, with two minutes left. Steady free throw shooting by JVee Casio and Tony Dela Cruz, however, put the game out of reach late despite a spree of three-point shooting from Willie Miller.
Alaska’s win-loss record improved to 7-6 to tie Meralco at fifth and sixth spots, one game ahead of seventh-placed Petron.
Placing at least sixth is crucial for any team, since the seventh- and eighth-place teams have to beat twice the second- and first-place teams, respectively, to advance to the semifinals. The third-place team faces the sixth-place team while the fourth- and fifth-placer battle in best-of-three quarterfinals series.
The scores:
ALASKA 101 – Abueva 21, Casio 18, Baguio 11, Dela Cruz 11, Baracael 11, Espinas 10, Jazul 7, Eman 4, Reyes 2, Hontiveros 2, Thoss 2, Belasco 2, Laure 0.
GLOBALPORT 95 – Miller 22, Guevarra 17, Manuel 16, David 7, Salvador 6, Mandani 6, Deutchman 5, Yee 4, Vanlandingham 4, Antonio 3, Lingganay 2, Vergara 2, Al-Hussaini 1, Crisano 0.
Quarters: 28-25, 46-40, 73-61, 101-95
-InterAKTV
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