MANILA — Calvin Abueva made his much-awaited season debut and quickly made his presence felt, leading the Alaska Aces to a come-from-behind 95-84 victory over the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night. With little sign of the quadriceps injury that sidelined him for two games, Abueva once again showed why he's nicknamed "The Beast," pouring in a team-high 22 points, 15 of them in the final quarter, including 10 straight points in one stretch, to lead a furious Alaska comeback from a nine-point deficit midway in the final frame. The Aces thus barged into the win column after losing their first two games. The loss snapped GlobalPort's two-game winning streak. JVee Casio also played a major role in Alaska's win, finishing with 15 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter topped by a three-pointer that gave the Aces an 85-79 lead that proved too much for the Batang Pier to overhaul. Vic Manuel also played a solid game after a one-game suspension, tallying 10 points and seven boards in 22 minutes off the bench. RJ Jazul and rookie Jaypee Mendoza added nine points apiece. Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle once again led GlobalPort in a losing effort, finishing with 26 and 23 points, respectively. JR Quinahan added 15 markers and nine boards. GlobalPort led by as many as 16 points, 63-47, in the third quarter, but wilted in the face of Alaska's relentless defensive clampdown, resulting in the Batang Pier committing 13 of their 28 turnovers in the second half. Alaska still missed the services of its two injured big men—centers Sonny Thoss and Noy Baclao. Star 99, NLEX 75 The Star Hotshots walloped the NLEX Road Warriors, 99-75, for their first win in the conference after a 0-2 start. New acquisition Paul Lee led the Hotshots against a team coached by his former coach Yeng Guiao, finishing with 20 points, seven assists and five boards. Rookie Jio Jalolon also sparkled for Star, tallying 17 points, five rebounds and five steals off the bench. NLEX reeled from a second straight loss after starting the season with a win. The Road Warriors managed to come to within eight points, 79-71, in the final frame. But the Hotshots sealed the victory with a devastating 20-4 run. Carlo Lastimosa and Jonas Villanueva jointly led NLEX with 11 points apiece while Kevin Alas and Chico Lanete added 10 markers each. Games Friday: Blackwater Elite (2-1) vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-1) and Meralco Bolts (1-1) vs. TNT Ka Tropa Texters (2-1).
