ALASKA shot the lights out of a Meralco side that seemed to have lost its power after going through two overtime victories in its first two outings this season.
The Aces handed the Bolts their worst loss—a 105-64 rout—to grab the solo lead in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
As the starters carried them to victory in its first assignments, Alaska’s bench exploded against the Bolts, outscoring the whole of Meralco, 78-64. The Aces are unbeaten after three starts.
“Our guys played fantastic. It’s just one of those games we shot the ball really well,” said Aces Head Coach Alex Compton, who drew a game-high 17 points from backup forward Vic Manuel. “We’re making our shots. We just want to honor the game and our opponents. Meralco, with the character [they] have, will bounce back strong. I really don’t want to play them next,” Compton added.
All 14 players Compton fielded scored and Calvin Abueva, the hero in their 100-98 win over Talk ‘N Text, was the lone starter to hit double figures with 10.
Dondon Hontiveros came off the bench and contributed 16 markers, while Chris Banchero, the team’s No. 5 overall pick, had his best game yet with 11 points and eight assists.
The 41-point victory was Alaska’s biggest winning margin since its 119-71 demolition of Tanduay in the battle for third in the 2000 Commissioner’s Cup.
The loss, meanwhile, was the worse for the Meralco franchise, which absorbed a 43-point blowout (95-139) from Rain or Shine in the 2012 Philippine Cup. It was also the worst for Head Coach Norman Black since 1992.
Curiously, it was the Elasto Painters who handed Alaska its worst loss in franchise history, a 51-point beating, 72-123, in last season’s Governors’ Cup.
This time, the Aces turned the tide against the erratic Meralco quintet.
“Our team got beaten by 51 last conference,” said Compton, who was already at the helm at Alaska on an interim basis after Luigi Trillo, now one of Head Coach Norman Black’s assistants at Meralco, stepped down after two games. “Stuff like that happen.”
Alaska shot 57.7 percent from the field (41-of-71) compared to Meralco’s 32.7 clip (23-of-71).
Cliff Hodge paced Meralco (2-1) with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Sean Anthony was the only other Bolt to hit double figures with 11 markers.
After taking a 76-52 lead entering the fourth period, Alaska was unforgiving with Banchero leading the assault. Meralco scored only 12 points in the last 12 minutes of the game.
Image credits: PBA Image