Aces draw first blood in semis series vs Elasto Painters

MANILA, Philippines – The Alaska Aces never gave in, whether they were down by 17 in the first half or by 5 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Aces picked their spots all game long, and went on a 10-0 run late in the contest to come away with an 87-80 game one win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their Philippine Cup semifinal series on Thursday, December 18, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

71% of teams who won game one in best-of-seven series in PBA history have gone on to advance, putting Alaska in a good position heading into game two on Saturday, December 20.

“I was really proud of our guys, that they weathered the storm… I think we put the frustration aside and just started playing,” Alaska head coach Alex Compton said after the game.

“I think that first win gives us just the knowledge that can beat them,” said Compton, whose team was eliminated by the Elasto Painters in the 2013-2014 PBA Governors’ Cup semis.

“It also means we have a lot of lessons to learn.”

A turnover by the Aces gave Jeff Chan an easy layup on the break, which put ROS on top 76-71. After Alaska converted a field goal, the Elasto Painters put another point on the scoreboard to make the count 77-73.

That’s when “The Beast” happened.

As Calvin Abueva entered the game, Alaska tightened its defensed and forced more turnovers. His energy led to two easy transition buckets for Chris Exciminiano. Not long after, Cyrus Baguio made an acrobatic layup, followed by Abueva hitting a pair of baskets himself.

The 10-0 put Alaska ahead 83-77 with 3 minutes to go. All the while the Aces were taking control of the contest, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao didn’t call for time-out.

With under a minute to go, JVee Casio attacked the lane and converted a challenged layup to seal the match.

“They showed great energy defensively and attacking the basket, and I think that’s the reason why we pulled away,” Compton said about his small-ball lineup in the fourth period featuring Casio, Baguio, Exciminiano, and Abueva.

Sonny Thoss finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Casio put up 16 points and dished out 3 assists. Abueva finished with 14 points, while RJ Jazul came off the bench to score 12 points in 16 minutes.

Rain or Shine was led by Chan, who put up 17 points. Beau Belga added 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Raymond Almazan scored 10 points. Paul Lee was limited to just 7 points on 3-of-14 shooting.

Rain or Shine was on top by 7, 21-14 by the end of the first quarter. In the second period, it was all Elasto Painters, who went on a 13-3 run to increase their lead to 17, 34-17, following a pull-up jumper by Belga and breakaway layup by Chan.

“I thought early on, Rain or Shine asserted their will against us,” Compton said.

“We got a little frustrated. They made their shots. Again, our transition defense has been poor now in two games against Rain or Shine… they got too many layups.”

The Aces slowly chipped away at the deficit thanks to Thoss and Abueva, who combined for 18 points in the first half. The duo spearheaded a critical 12-3 Alaska run that cut their opponents’ lead to eight, 37-29.

Not long after, an array of jumpers from Thoss and Baguio cut ROS’ lead down to three. Both squads exchanged baskets to end the second quarter, giving the Elasto Painters a 43-40 lead at the half.

Alaska shot 38% from the field and went 29% from downtown. They controlled the rebounding battle, 59-48.

Rain or Shine had more fastbreak points, 21-16, and received 50 points from their bench, while Alaska’s produced 31.

Scores:

Alaska (87): Thoss 16, Casio 16, Abueva 14, Jazul 12, Menk 8, Baguio 7, Exciminiano 6, Manuel 4, Dela Cruz 3, Banchero 1, Hontiveros 0

Rain or Shine (80): Chan 17, Belga 11, Almazan 10, Arana 8, Lee 7, Tang 7, Uyloan 6, Norwood 6, Cruz 6, Ibanes 2, Tiu 0, Quinahan 0

Quarter Scoring: 14-21, 40-43, 61-58, 87-80

Here are more photos of the game taken by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

– Rappler.com