Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — The Alaska Aces yielded a 21-point lead but had enough spunk in the endgame to regain the lead and salvage the victory over the San Miguel Beermen, 82-77, Saturday night the final PBA Governors' Cup road game of the season in Panabo, Davao del Norte. It was Alaska's fourth straight victory and eighth overall in 10 games as the Aces grabbed hold of the solo top spot in the standings. The loss snapped SMB's eight-game winning streak as the Beermen ended their elimination round campaign at solo second place with an 8-3 win-loss card. Alaska assured itself of the top seeding even if it loses its last elimination round game against GlobalPort Tuesday. Even before the game, both the Aces and the Beermen were already assured of finishing in the Top 4 with the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. Import Travis Romeo paced the Aces with 32 points, including five straight points in the final moments of the fourth quarter that enabled the Aces to turn a three-point deficit into a 79-77 lead with 51.2 seconds remaining. The hardworking import, who was a former college teammate of NBA star LeBron James, also grabbed 10 rebounds including an offensive board in the homestretch that sealed the win for Alaska. Calvin Abueva came off the bench to add 12 points and six rebounds. No other Aces scored in double digits. Import Arizona Reid led SMB with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Reid appeared to have cooled off after erupting for 39 points in the Beermen's last game against the Blackwater Elite. He missed all eight of his three-point attempts and shot just 7-of-24 from the field. Ronald Tubid chipped in 15 points off the bench while June Mar Fajardo finished with a double-double of 12 markers, 12 boards and three blocks. The Beermen sleepwalked in the early part of the game, allowing the Aces to seize 47-31 halftime lead. The Beermen finally woke up in the third quarter, outscoring the Aces 28-18 as Fajardo decided to be more aggressive on offense. A rare four-point play by Tubid with 4 minutes left tied the match at 74-all. SMB then took the lead, 77-74, on a triple by Marcio Lassiter. But Alaska responded with an 8-0 blast for the win. Games Sunday: Star Hotshots vs. Barako Bull Energy and Meralco Bolts vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
