MANILA — The San Miguel Beermen poured more misery on Alaska, whipping the crippled and hard-luck Aces, 109-97, in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Saturday night. The Beermen improved to a 7-2 win-loss card, tying Barangay Ginebra at second place in the standings, half a game behind the Meralco Bolts (8-2). SMB could secure a Top 2 finish with a victory in their last elimination round game against the Blackwater Elite Wednesday. Alaska suffered a sixth straight loss—its longest losing streak in franchise history—after winning its first four games, endangering its playoff chances. The Aces' last elimination round game will be against the streaking Star Hotshots, also on Wednesday. Alex Cabagnot was the main man this time for SMB, finishing with a team-high 25 points, including 5 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc. He also stuffed his stats sheets with 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in 39 minutes. Import Charles Rhodes added 24 points and 10 boards in 35 minutes. Marcio Lassiter tallied 19 markers while Chris Ross had 18 points on top of a team-high 10 assists. Arwind Santos added 10 markers and eight rebounds. June Mar Fajardo, still recuperating from flu, played for just 15 minutes off the bench to chip in five points and six boards. Alaska sorely missed the presence of two key players who are both saddled with injuries—Calvin Abueva (ankle) and JVee Casio (hamstring). Forward Vic Manuel, another key player, played for just 16 minutes due to a still hurting knee. Import Cory Jefferson led the Aces in a losing effort with 23 points and 13 boards. Chris Banchero added 22 points and 8 assists while Tony Dela Cruz chipped in 12 markers off the bench. Alaska could not do anything to stop SMB's gunners who shot 14 three-pointers in the game. To compound their woes, the Aces committed a whopping 19 turnovers, many off careless passes. NLEX 116, Phoenix 114 The NLEX Road Warriors ended their Commissioner's Cup campaign on a winning note, surprising the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 116-114. Boosted by new recruits, NLEX won just its second game in the conference after stringing up nine straight losses. It was also Phoenix's last elimination round game, with its seventh loss in 11 games putting its playoff hopes at risk. Currently at ninth place, Phoenix's hopes lie in Alaska (4-6), GlobalPort (4-6) and Mahindra (3-7) losing their last remaining elimination round games. Alex Mallari unleashed 22 points, nine boards, five assists in 29 minutes to lead NLEX. Import Wayne Chism finished with a double-double 20 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes. But the biggest baskets were scored by JR Quinahan who nailed 12 of his 14 markers in the fourth quarter. Kevin Alas and Carlo Lastimosa added 10 points each. Phoenix's loss rendered meaningless Matthew Wright's new career-high of 42 points. Games Sunday: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (5-5) vs. TNT KaTropa Texters (7-3) and Barangay Ginebra Kings (7-2) vs. Meralco Bolts (7-3).
