MANILA — JVee Casio buried back-to-back three-pointers to spark a huge 14-3 endgame run lifting the Alaska Aces to a pulsating 91-88 victory over the luckless Barako Bull Energy Cola in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome Wednesday night. In the nightcap, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters sent the Talk N Text Tropang Texters to the bottom of the standings and on the brink of elimination, hacking out a 104-102 victory. Rain or Shine thus firmed up its bid for a Top 4 finish as it finished the elimination round with a 5-4 win-loss card, good for a solo fourth spot. TNT joined Air21 at the cellar after suffering its sixth loss in eight games. With their fourth win in eight outings, the Aces kept their hopes alive of snaring a Top 4 slot in the playoffs and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it. A victory Sunday in their last elimination round match against cellar-dweller Air 21 will allow the Aces to secure at least a tie for a Final 4 berth. The Energy Cola suffered its fifth loss in nine games, dashing its hopes of securing a twice-to-beat edge in the playoffs. The Aces had been firing blanks from the beyond the three-point arc and were down 77-85 when Casio suddenly exploded for two huge treys. Cyrus Baguio then drilled another three pointer followed by a Tony dela Cruz layup as the Aces surged ahead, 88-87, with 1:15 seconds left. Import Mike Singletary scored in the ensuing play to give Barako Bull back the lead, 89-88, with 23.5 seconds left. Alaska import Wendell McKines missed a three-point shot, but Dela Cruz snagged the offensive rebound and was fouled with 13.5 seconds. The veteran forward converted the first of his two charities. The second free throw was off but McKines was there to pick up the offensive rebound and was likewise fouled. The Alaska import smoothly sank both free throws to give his team a 91-89 edge with 12.9 ticks left. Barako Bull had one last chance to win the game, but Ronjay Buenafe missed an open three-point shot as the final buzzer sounded. A tougher defense and domination of the boards were the keys to the Aces' victory. Alaska outrebounded Barako Bull, 49-37, with McKines accounting for 15 boards. The tireless Alaska reinforcement also leads his team in scoring with 21 points. “Nice to win one with our defense,” said Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo. Trillo also credited his players for their patient execution of Alaska's triangle offense, which set up Casio for draining those crucial three-pointers in the homestretch. Baguio finished with 15 points, Casio chipped in with 14, while Gabby Espinas added 11. Singletary led all scorers with 38 points. But his firepower was not enough to snap Barako Bull's three-game losing streak. Buenafe added 12 points while Danny Seigle chipped in with 11. The Energy Cola put up a good fight despite missing the services of starting playmaker Eman Monfort, their second leading scorer. Monfort fractured a finger in Barako Bull's last game against San Mig Coffee.
