Alaska's Calvin Abueva looks for a teammate to pass as Star import Marqus Blakely keeps an eye in Friday night's PBA Governors' Cup semifinals match at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. JAY R. GOTERA Saudi Gazette
MANILA — The top-seeded Alaska Aces moved one game away from bagging a Finals berth, routing the defending champions Star Hotshots, 95-74, for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five PBA Governors' Cup semifinals series. Import Romeo Travis paced the Aces with 19 points and 14 rebounds while Calvin Abueva played one of his finest games, scoring 11 points and pulling down six rebounds. Noy Baclao and Ping Exciminiano came off the bench to add 10 points apiece. Four other players added at least eight points. The Hotshots trailed by just four points, 59-55, with 3:38 remaining in the third quarter. But the Aces unleashed a 12-3 run with reserves Baclao, Chris Banchero and Dondon Hontiveros joining forces to give Alaska a 71-58 lead at the end of the third. The Aces were even more merciless in the fourth quarter, holding the Hotshots scoreless for a span of about six minutes while pouring 13 straight points to pull away by 21 huge points, 93-72, with 57 ticks left. The Aces shot a sizzling 53.8 percent from the field on 42 of 78 shooting. The Hotshots were completely taken off their game by Alaska's ironclad defense, coming up with just a 38.2 shooting clip, hitting just 26 of 68 shots. Marqus Blakely led Star with 19 points and eight rebounds. Peter June Simon finished with 17 points while James Yap added 10 markers. San Miguel 101, Rain or Shine 95 The San Miguel Beermen showed ‘unbelievable” tenacity and fortitude as they clawed their way from a 24-point abyss to beat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 101-95, on Thursday night in Game 1 of their best-of-5 PBA Governors' Cup semifinal series. Game 2 of the series is set on Saturday. SMB coach Leo Austria was left flabbergasted after the game, saying what happened was “unbelievable.” He credited the victory to the total team effort showed by his boys, particularly Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos who combined for 24 points in the second half to spark the huge comeback. Cabagnot and Santos finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Import Arizona Reid nearly had a triple double, posting 22 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. Marcio Lassiter also scored 22 points, including four three-pointers. Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo added 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one block. The Painters were on fire from the get-go as they raced to a 25-5 lead. They opened up their first 24-point lead, 43-19, in the second quarter. But the Beermen finally woke up from a deep slumber, unleashing a 34-19 barrage in the third quarter as they shifted to a zone defense. ROS was still ahead, 74-70, in the third quarter when import Wendell McKines was forced to ride the bench after being called for a flagrant foul on Ronald Tubid. The Beermen took advantage of McKines' absence as they seized a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The two teams battled on even terms in the final period, with ROS tying the count at 95-all with 4:41 left. But Lassiter and Reid nailed huge shots to steal the game away from the Painters. McKines led ROS with 33 points. Paul Lee had 19 while Beau Belga and Raymond Almazan added 12 and 10 markers, respectively. Game Saturday: San Miguel Beermen vs. Rain or Shine (Game 2, best-of-5 semifinals).
