MANILA – Alaska Aces nearly wasted a lead as high as 26 points before turning back Blackwater Elite, 101-91, in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup over the weekend at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jeron Teng top-scored with 19 points while reinforcement Franko House and Abu Tratter contributed 18 markers apiece.
With the win, the Aces improved to 2-6.
Tratter, playing against his former team for the first time since the offseason trade, set the tone early for the Aces in the first period. They took a 29-19 advantage.
In the second period, it was Teng and House who orchestrated the offense for Alaska. They went on to establish their biggest advantage at 62-36 early in the third canto.
The Elite, however, countered with a huge rally to trim the 26-point advantage to as low as five points before Teng regained his shooting for the Aces in the fourth.
Marqus Blakely tallied 19 points while Rommel Nino Canaleta added 18 markers in his first game with the 2-6 Elite since being traded from the Meralco Bolts last Friday.
In the second game, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings got its shots to fall in the endgame to escape with a 98-89 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
With the score tied at 89-all, Justin Brownlee came up with back-to-back hits to break the deadlock before Earl Scottie Thompson put the game away for good with a triple.
Brownlee flirted with triple-double with 39 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists as the Kings notched its third straight victory to improve to 4-2 win-loss record./PN
