pointer at the buzzer as the Alaska Aces survived a ferocious San Miguel comeback to score a 92-89 win Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum, thus remaining in contention for a slot in the Top Six in the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round. Tenorio finished with 21 points, including 5 of 6 from beyond the three-point arc, as he and Joe De Vance – who topscored with a career-high 28 points – led the Aces to their sixth win in 13 games, good for solo sixth place in the standings. Alaska is trying to avoid a seventh or eighth place finish that could mean a tougher quarterfinals pairing with either of the Top 2 seeds who will enjoy a twice-to-beat incentive. As such, the Aces poured it all right at the start of the game, erecting 31-point leads twice. Alaska took the first quarter, 38-18, and led 67-41 at halftime. The Beermen – who are assured of a Top 2 finish even before the game – regrouped in the second half, eventually catching up with the Aces, 89-all, on a three-pointer by Dondon Hontiveros with 5.6 seconds left in the game. But Tenorio refused to wilt under the searing San Miguel heat as he dribbled the ball down court and threw a prayer of a three-point shot that went in as time expired, drawing cheers even from the San Miguel camp. The win avenged Alaska's 97-99 loss to San Miguel in their first meeting. Hontiveros topscored for San Miguel with 20 points while Danny Seigle chipped in 19 markers. San Miguel thus finished the eliminations still at the top of the standings with an 11-3 slate ahead of Top 2 contenders Barangay Ginebra and Talk N Text, both with a 9-3 card. In the first game of the double-header, Rabeh Al-Hussaini exploded for 30 points as the Air21 Express booked themselves a seat in the quarterfinals with an 82-77 win against the Barako Bull, sending the Energy Boosters crashing out of the tournament with their 11th loss against just two wins. Air21 improved to a 5-7 win-loss record, good for eighth place, well ahead of ninth placer Powerade Tigers (3-10). The victory was extra sweet for the Express as they avenged their 79-89 loss to the Boosters in their first meeting.
