Aces notch 1st win, rally past TNT

Alaska Milk snapped out of a sorry losing streak from the Philippine Cup finale, nailing a first win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a 108-100 ripping of Tropang TNT Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Shane Edwards put in a smashing debut in the local pro league, logging 36 points and 20 rebounds as the Aces bounced back from a 101-108 loss to the Blackwater Elite in their conference opening game they played without an import.

Edwards, an NBA D-League fixture with a brief stint as a Cleveland Cavalier, came out as a good fit with the Aces, with the team working in full throttle in the last 15 minutes of the game.

Vic Manuel, RJ Jazul, Calvin Abueva, Chris Banchero, Cyrus Baguio and Jvee Casio provided the needed backup job as Alaska fought back from a 13-point deficit and stemmed the tide in its favor, 91-82, on a bristling 18-4 attack in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Aces held sway all the way to the finish.

David Simon also did well in his PBA debut but the team was simply overwhelmed by Alaska in the payoff
period. The Texters dropped to 1-3.

Simon, a replacement to Ivan Johnson, had 35 points and 19 rebounds in his maiden game in the local pro league.

Both imports made good impression right away with Simon coming through with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Edwards piled up 22 markers and eight boards in the first half.

Simon, however, drew much contribution from his teammates early on as the Texters enjoyed a 53-44 advantage at the turn.

From a 33-all count, the Texters unleashed a 10-to-nothing run to seize control towards the end of the opening half.

They led by as many as 13 at the start of the third period but the Aces slowly clawed their way back to the fight, 71-72, going into the final canto.
T
he Aces finally regained the lead at 83-78 on their own 10-0 binge worked on by Jvee Casio, Chris Banchero and Edwards at the onset of the payoff period.

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