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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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04
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26
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
26
2024
PBA IMAGES
PANABO, Davao del Norte — The San Miguel Purefoods Corp. franchise has had its share of great foreign talents brought in the PBA with the likes of Ken Redfield, Derrick Brown, Daren Queenan, Marquin Chandler, Denzel Bowles and Marqus Blakely to name some.
And in 25 years, they had never had a six-game start in a foreign-laden tourney worse than 2-4 until the Star Hotshots continued their slump versus the Alaska Milk Aces in their road game here Saturday night.
They’re flying back to Manila with a 1-5 slate, in danger of missing the playoff round of the PBA Governors Cup.
LaDontae Henton, Calvin Abueva and Sonny Thoss made the biggest damage as the Aces drubbed the Hotshots, 85-69, to improve their own playoff aspirations.
Henton delivered 27 points, including two clutch treys in the last three minutes, while Abueva and Thoss combined for 18 markers and 20 rebounds as the Aces stretched to seven games their winning streak versus the Hotshots in their head-on duels.
The entire Alaska team simply pounced on the Hotshots’ lethargic game to move up to joint eighth with the Globalport Batang Pier and the Phoenix Fuel Masters at 2-4 in this particular tourney.
The Hotshots struggled with a 24-of-77 shooting clip for their least output in a game under coach Jason Webb.
Woeful with just one assist against 14 turnovers and a miserable 11-of-42 shooting clip, the Hotshots trailed by 16, 25-41, at the half.
The Hotshots then even stared at a 20-point deficit at 25-45 as Thoss and shooting guard Kevin Racal knocked down back-to-back jumpers to start the second half.
Joel Wright and RR Garcia sparked a rally in the fourth quarter, but the Aces regrouped and restored a commanding lead in no time.
Wright and Garcia were the only bright lights for Star in this game with the latter piling up 30 points and the latter adding 15.
James Yap hurt his right knee in a slip in the second quarter and failed to return.
The Aces came through with decisive runs in the second and in the last quarters and snapped a three-game losing skein.
Alaska, the losing finalist last conference, scored a second win following a 105-102 escape victory over Globalport on July 24.
After seeing a 20-point lead cut down to three, 66-63, the Aces turned to Henton and Kevin Racal for a blazing finish that got them back on track after successive losses to TNT, Mahindra and Rain or Shine.
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