Alaska holds off NLEX, nabs q’finals berth

Alaska booked the first quarterfinals seat in the 2016 Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup, holding off NLEX, 89-81, at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

The Aces lead by as much as 20, 62-42, late in the third quarter but NLEX made a spirited run in the fourth behind Sean Anthony and closed the gap to four, 82-78, on 9-0 tear with 1:52 remaining.

However, JVee Casio and Cyrus Baguio dashed the hopes for NLEX with big buckets down the stretch as the Aces also got a break after an errant pass from Anthony to Garvo Lanete with 30.6 seconds left.

“We talked about the defensive mindset we needed in this game, but we wasn’t happy about our decisions in the fourth quarter,” said coach Alex Compton of Alaska’s near-collapse.

Sonny Thoss led the all-out attack from the Aces with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, to go with four assists and four blocks.

Vic Manuel had his share with 11 markers, nine boards, and two rejections while Rome dela Rosa also got 11 points.

With the win, Alaska is assured of at least a quaterfinals seat with a 6-1 record good for the top spot but is chasing one of the top two spots that would guarantee an outright ticket to the semifinals.

“Every team in the league would love to get the twice-to-beat, but we have a lot of tough games and I don’t know if any of them will be easy for us,” said Compton.

Anthony finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists even as Enrico Villanueva got 12 markers and nine rebounds for NLEX, which fell to 4-3.

The Scores:

ALASKA 89 – Thoss 16, Dela Rosa 11, Manuel 11, Abueva 10, Menk 9, Banchero 6, Casio 5, Hontiveros 5, Baguio 4, Dela Cruz 4, Exciminiano 3, Jazul 3, Racal 2, Baclao 0.
NLEX 81 – Anthony 21, E. Villanueva 12, Taulava 10, Alas 9, J. Villanueva 9, Enciso 5, Reyes 5, Camson 4, Khobuntin 4, Cardona 2, Lanete 0, H. Arboleda 0, Apinan 0, Borboran 0.

Quarters: 23-15, 42-31, 68-51, 89-81.

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