Cariaso praises Alaska’s defense over Paul Lee

ANGELES CITY – Alaska head coach Jeff Cariaso praised his pupils’ tenacity in suppressing Magnolia ace Paul Lee on Saturday night.

Lee still scored in double figures, 14 points, but the Aces chained him to a miserable 4-of-16 shot from the field when they burst into the win column at the expense of the Hotshots, 87-81, after a two-game loss. games. start in the bubble of the PBA Philippine Cup.

Mike DiGregorio, Rodney Brondial, Jayvee Casio and MJ Ayaay took turns holding Lee, who missed all three of his two-point attempts and nine of his 13 three-point shots in nearly 28 minutes of play at the University of California Sports Foundation. Angeles and Cultural Center powered by Smart 5G.

“I think Mike did a great job of fulfilling that responsibility, as did Rodney, Jayvee and MJ Ayaay as well. That was really our purpose, to get some guys to protect him (Lee), ”Cariaso said.

The Magnolia striker was coming off an 18-point performance highlighted by a game-winning four-point play in the Hotshots’ comeback 103-100 last Wednesday.

But the Dairymen did not allow Angas ng Tondo to replicate his late-game heroics against the Road Warriors. With Alaska leading 85-81 with 25.3 seconds left, DiGregorio and the rest of the Aces denied Lee finishing coach Chito Victolero’s double screen for him, forcing Jackson Corpuz to take a triple that was blocked by Casio.

“(When) defending Paul Lee, you have to be ready, you have to be focused and a lot of his offense revolves around him. So we just want to mix it up a bit, ”Cariaso said.

“Happy with the way our boys performed.”

Cariaso will need another standout defensive mentality from the Aces to against Blackwater (2-1) on Tuesday.