ALASKA weathered the NLEX rally late in the game and hacked out an 89-81 victory to seize the solo lead of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jayvee Casio and Cyrus Baguio struggled with their game but hit clutch baskets when the Road Warriors threatened to come closer and preserved the win for the Aces, who now extended their winning streak to three games for a league-best 6-1 win-loss mark.
Sonny Thoss led Alaska with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Rome de la Rosa and Vic Manuel chipped in 11 apiece for the Aces, who led by as much as 20 points before NLEX mounted the rally behind the efforts of Sean Anthony and Enrico Villanueva.
“We talked about we needed a defensive mind-set in this game,” said Aces Head Coach Alex Compton, who also drew 10 points and 10 rebounds from Calvin Abueva.
“I was not happy about our decisions in the fourth quarter but, in general, I thought we were pretty solid. We’re really helping each other out,” Compton added.
The win denied the Road Warriors of a third straight win as they dropped to 4-3 in the standings.
Alaska was in full command of the game and was holding an 82-69 advantage on Thoss’s basket with under five minutes left in the game.
But NLEX unleashed a 9-0 run capped by Villanueva’s drive to move within four, 78-82, 1:53 remaining.
Casio delivered the dagger in the next play as he hit a booming three-pointer, his lone field goal in the second half, to put their lead back to 85-78 with 1:41 left.
Jonas Villanueva responded quickly for NLEX with a drive, 80-85, but Baguio converted a short jumper to put the game away, 87-80, 1:10 remaining.
Anthony led the Road Warriors with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Enrico Villanueva had his best game in a long, while with 12 markers, nine boards and five blocks.
Asi Taulava, who had a bad fall in the second quarter, had 10 points, while Kevin Alas and Jonas Villanueva netted nine apiece.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza