Calvin Abueva went beast mode, scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds to help the Alaska Aces rally past Kia Picanto, 102-94, and keep their Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup playoff hopes alive on Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Apart from his impressive statline, Abueva also hounded Kia import Geron Johnson on defense as he displayed an all-around effort to lead the Aces’ comeback from 10 points down in the fourth quarter.
JVee Casio and LaDontae Henton contributed 20 points apiece for Alaska (3-6) which nailed its third straight victory to remain in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot.
Behind Johnson who finished the game with 39 points, Kia entered the fourth frame with its biggest lead at 10, 77-67.
JVee Casio and Ping Exciminiano provided huge plays in the fourth quarter, with a Casio triple tying the game at 84-all with 5:38 remaining.
After that, Abueva drew a technical from Johnson who was punished for second motion following a physical play with “The Beast”.
An Abueva jumper gave Alaska an 87-84 lead which Kia quickly erased after a Mark Yee trey.
Abueva gave Alaska a 94-91 edge with 2:05 left but Johnson responded with a booming triple to knot the score.
But Alaska had more weapons down the stretch. LaDontae Henton drilled a three-pointer then Casio sank a jumper to give the Aces a 99-94 lead with 36 seconds left which was enough to take the fight out of the Picanto.
The scores:
ALASKA 102 – Abueva 26, Henton 20, Casio 20, Exciminiano 14, Banchero 11, Thoss 4, Racal 3, Baclao 2, Cruz 2, Mendoza 0, Magat 0, Pascual 0, Galliguez 0, Enciso 0.
KIA 94 – Johnson 39, Paniamogan 12, Elorde 11, Yee 11, Khobuntin 10, Ballesteros 4, Celda 3, Jaime 2, Corpuz 2, Revilla 0, Camson 0, Salva 0.
Quarterscores: 23-27, 46-51, 67-77, 102-94.
