MANILA — Fighting for pride, the Kings stayed alive. After being humiliated in Game 1, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings fought tooth and nail to beat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 79-77, Friday in Game 2 of their 2012-2013 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Kings thus leveled their quarterfinals series at 1-all and arranged a do-or-die Game 3 Sunday. Down by eight points, 33-41, at the end of the first half, the Kings finally unleashed their bottled up never-say-die spirit with a 24-14 run to turn the game around. The Painters mounted a huge comeback to cut Ginebra's lead to 79-77 with less than two minutes left in the game. After the Kings lost possession, the Painters had the chance to grab back the lead but Jeff Chan's three-point shot went in and out. The Painters managed to keep possession. But with two seconds left, Rudy Hatfield stole an inbounds pass by Gabe Norwood to preserve the win for Ginebra. Although Chris Ellis top scored for the Kings with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Hatfield was named Player of the Game for his game-long tenacity and hustle plays. He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Mark Caguioa and LA Tenorio also shone for the Kings, contributing 17 and 16 markers respectively. Paul Lee led Rain or Shine with 19 points, while Chan chipped in with 12. Ginebra head coach Siot Tanquingcen was ecstatic after the game. “I wanna thank God for this victory. This really is a blessing,” was all he could say. Whoever wins Sunday's rubber match will square off with the San Mig Coffee Mixers, who earlier eliminated the Petron Blaze Boosters and booked themselves a semifinals spot. In an earlier quarterfinals duel, super rookie Calvin “The Beast” Abueva broke free from the defensive shackles put on him as he led the Alaska Aces to a resounding 88-70 Game 2 win over the Meralco Bolts. The Aces thus sent the Bolts packing for the holidays as they advanced into the semifinals. Alaska will tangle with the top-seeded and two-time defending champs Talk N Text Tropang Texters in a best-of-seven duel beginning Thursday. Abueva recorded his sixth double-double in his young PBA career, finishing with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as well as three blocks in 33 minutes of action. In Game 1 of their quarterfinals series, Abueva got into early foul trouble amid the Bolts' all-out effort to contain him, finishing with just six points. Cyrus Baguio continued his shooting streak, contributing 18 points, including 10 in the second half as the Aces buried the Bolts in an avalanche of baskets from start to finish. Wily point guard JVee Casio added 13 points and eight assists while Gabby Espinas ruled the paint, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo said Abueva's troubles in Game 1, which kept him on the bench for long stretches, was a blessing in disguise. “Calvin was fresher after playing just 15 minutes in the first game,” Trillo said. In contrast, Trillo noted that Meralco was a tired team, having played three games in five days. “We outhustled them,” he said. The Aces also dominated the paint, outrebounding the Bolts, 54-34. Mac Cardona led Meralco with 18 points while Sol Mercado, who was nursing a right ankle sprain, collected 15 points and 10 assists.
