Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — The vengeful Alaska Aces added yet another black eye to the San Miguel Beermen, coming from behind to beat their Philippine Cup Finals tormentor, 107-100, Tuesday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Aces thus improved to a 2-2 win-loss record while the Beermen plummeted to the bottom of the standings with their fourth straight loss in the conference, their worst start in years. Import DJ Covington led the Aces with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Chris Banchero played his best game yet in the conference, coming off the bench to add 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, thus earning for himself the Player of the Game honor. Dondon Hontiveros chipped in with 16 points, including four straight free throws in the dying seconds of the game that ensured the Alaska victory. Calvin Abueva posted 12 points and five boards while Cyrus Baguio added 10 markers. The Beermen held a double-digit lead in the first half but simply could not contain the resurgent Aces when the latter unleashed their patented pressure defense. They were led by import Ronald Roberts who posted 24 points and 14 rebounds. June Mar Fajardo finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists to no avail. Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz added 18 and 15 points, respectively. Former MVP Arwind Santos remained ice-cold in offense, contributing only four points. NLEX 106, Blackwater 79 Al Thornton finally unleashed the monster game long expected of him as he exploded for 39 points to lead the NLEX Road Warriors to a 106-79 dismantling of the hapless Blackwater Elite. It was the Road Warriors' first victory in four outings while the Elite fell back to earth with their fourth loss after their shocking win over this season's Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer last week. Thornton – the Los Angeles Clippers' 14th pick overall in the 2007 NBA Rookie Draft – bounced back from a below-par performance against the Purefoods Star Hotshots last week where he was limited to just 11 points. On Tuesday night, the 31-year-old former NBA star was on fire all game long, shooting 14-of-20 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. He also grabbed 15 rebounds as he dominated both ends of the court. After dropping three close games, NLEX made sure this one won't get away as the Road Warriors raced to an early 24-11 lead, never looking back. They shot a sizzling 55 percent while mangling the Elite on the boards, 61-36. Nino Canaleta, Jonas Villanueva, Enrico Villanueva and Rudy Lingganay added nine points each for the Road Warriors. Brian Faundo led the Elite in a losing cause with 17 points. Marqus Douthit played what he himself regarded as his “worst game ever,” finishing with just 15 points. Games Wednesday: Barako Bull Energy vs. GlobalPort Batang Pier; KIA Carnival vs. Purefoods Star Hotshots.
