San Miguel rolls over deflated Alaska

MANILA, Philippines – Calvin Abueva, in street clothes and sitting out due to a sprained ankle, rose from the bench early in the third quarter. His cap worn backwards, Abueva jovially met Cory Jefferson after the import trickled in a layup to cap off a 7-0 run that gave the Alaska Aces a 57-53 lead.

That turned out to be the Aces’ last good moment in what quickly became another tough loss at the hands of the San Miguel Beermen, 109-97, in the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Saturday, May 27 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Alex Cabagnot missed only two of his 7 3-point attempts for a game-high 25 points plus 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals as San Miguel extended Alaska’s woes to an alarming 6 straight defeats. The Aces had once started 4-0 in the conference.

The Beermen, on the other hand, improved to 7-2 and tied sister team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for second place.

Charles Rhodes contributed 24 markers and 10 boards while Marcio Lassiter added 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as San Miguel led by as many as 22 points after a 31-18 third quarter.

Chris Ross flourished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists as Arwind Santos came off the bench for 10 points and 8 rebounds.

San Miguel’s usual suspects more than made up for 3-time MVP June Mar Fajardo playing limited minutes after feeling under the weather.

It was the complete opposite for the undermanned Aces, who also sat out JVee Casio due to hamstring injury. Forward Vic Manuel, who was listed as doubtful for this game, still played 16 minutes but was hobbled by his hurting knee.

Jefferson and Chris Banchero tried to carry Alaska with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Jefferson added 13 rebounds while Banchero had 8 assists.

Tony Dela Cruz offered help by way of 12 points in 12 minutes off the bench but Alaska became visibly deflated with every one of San Miguel’s 14 3-pointers and the Aces’ own 19 turnovers, many of which were off careless passes.

The forecast does not look good for the Aces, who are in danger of missing the playoffs, with their last opponent being the league-leading Star Hotshots.

Scores:

San Miguel (109): Cabagnot 25, Rhodes 24, Lassiter 19, Ross 18, Santos 10, Fajardo 5, Tubid 3, Espinas 2, Heruela 2, McCarthy 1, Semerad 0, Agovida 0, Reyes 0. 

Alaska (97): Jefferson 23, Banchero 22, Dela Cruz 12, Racal 9, Thoss 8, Manuel 6, Enciso 5, Pascual 4, Galliguez 3, Hontiveros 3, Mendoza 2, Exciminiano 0. 

Quarter scores: 25-24, 53-50, 84-68, 109-97.

– Rappler.com