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The Alaska Aces were able to see the heroics of three different players provided by the heroics in the Alaska Aces’ 87-81 win against the Magnolia Hotshots on Saturday night at the AUF Gym in Angeles, Pampanga.
Jeron Teng scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, while Jvee Casio added 17 and the night’s biggest save against the much taller Jackson Corpuz to seal his first 2020 PBA Philippine Cup win in three games. .
Up 85-81, the diminutive floor general shot up to deflect Corpuz’s despair with about 15 seconds to go. Earlier, Mike Digregorio pierced the three-point dagger on Mark Barroca with 54.6 seconds left to raise the lead to four, 83-79.
On the next possession, Barroca tried to catch a foul from Vic Manuel, but stayed upright to deny a contested jump shot. When Alaska got the save, Teng turned the ball over, prompting the Barroca to attempt a contested layup. However, when he spun the window stone, Alaska’s Abu Tratter was called to the goal with 35.0 seconds left, when he hit the board.
Digregorio’s two charities with 25.3 remaining closed the door for any possible comeback. He finished with 10 points.
“Honestly, it’s part of how we do things. I think right now we have the team that can add numbers from 3. It’s really just settling down and getting back on track. I really still feel like we’re out of rhythm,” said the coach in Alaska chief Jeff Cariaso at the exit press conference.
“Our flow is still inconsistent. Going into the game, you don’t know what to expect, to be honest with you. We just tried to be our best. I challenged the guys who were going to the game tonight that we just need to be better at what we do. And the guys showed it tonight – defensively, they were much better than the first two games. We just hope to get better as the conference progresses, “added the first-year mentor.
Down by two, 66-64, to start the fourth quarter, Teng opened the reward period by powering up the defense for two close shots to lead, 68-66. Magnolia then responded with five straight points to regain the lead, 69-68.
However, Alaska responded with five consecutive points to lead 74-70. After a couple of responses, capped by a float from Jio Jalalon with 1:47 left to play to close the gap to one, 80-79, the two squads were scoreless for nearly a minute before Digregorio nailed the great triple. line.
“We approached this game thinking we were 1-1. And I say that because we felt like we should have won that first game. The mistakes we made were our mistakes, things we could control. So when you approach it that way, compare to to be 0-2, I think the mentality is different, “Cariaso recalled.” You go into this game against a very well trained and very talented Magnolia team, they have superstars on their team that we really have to be concerned about. Being able to step up and be better defensively was my biggest take on tonight’s game. “
Barroca outscored Magnolia with 16 points and five assists, while Lee contributed 14 and the Hotshots sank to 1-2.
CASH SCORES
Alaska (87) – Teng 19, Casio 17, Tratter 10, Digregorio 10, Manuel 9, Herndon 7, Galliguez 6, Ebona 5, Brondial 4, Andrada 0, Public 0, Ayaay 0, Marcelino 0, Ahanmisi 0.
Magnolia (81) – Barroca 16, Lee 14, Banchero 13, Jajlon 11, Dionsio 11, Sangalang 8, dela Rosa 7, Corpuz 2, Melton 0, Reavis 0, Calisaan 0, Abundo 0, Pascual 0, Saitanan 0.
Quarter scores: 21-29, 43-45, 62-64, 87-81.
EXTRA JARS
Magnolia’s Chris Banchero faced his former team for the first time since being traded for Robbie Herndon and Rodney Brondial in November 2019. He finished with 13 points. Meanwhile, Herndon and Brondial combined for 11.
Alaska forward Kevin Racal watched the game off the bench nearly a week after completely tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament. It is unknown when he will return to Manila, but he is in therapy inside the PBA bubble.
NEXT GAMES
Alaska vs Blackwater, October 20 at 6:45 pm
Magnolia vs Meralco, October 20 at 4 pm
