Duncil free throws produce 2nd straight win for Express

Air21 banked on Jojo Duncil's steely nerves down the stretch to subdue Alaska, 88-85, and register its first back-to-back wins this season in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Friday night at the Astrodome in Pasay City. Duncil scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth period, including the Express' last eight points—six coming from the free throw line that repeatedly kept the rallying Aces at bay. The last two of those free throws proved to be the marginal baskets in the final 7.8 seconds. The Aces, with no timeouts left and down by three, hurriedly brought the ball up their front cout and set up L.A. Tenorio for a possible game-tying three-pointer, but the deadly point-guard out of Ateneo missed the shot. Bonbon Custodio got the rebound, but his pass to an open Cyrus Baguio on top of the three-point arc was too wide, allowing the Express to escape with the scrambling win. Marcus Douthit scored 23 points, snared down 25 rebounds and proved to be a towering presence inside for the Express, who forged a four-way tie at second place with idle teams Barangay Ginebra, Petron, and B-MEG. All four teams have similar 3-2 (win-loss) card while the Aces now have an even 3-3 card. Douthit, the naturalized player and former Smart Gilas-Pilipinas stalwart, had 13 points and 12 rebounds by the half setting the for the Express' dominance opposite the Aces the rest of the way. Omolon led all Air21 locals with 14 points, but missed two free throws inside the final minute and the Express holding a precarious 84-80 margin. Alaska trailed by 53-40 midway in the third, but came alive in the final five minutes of the game behind import Adam Parada (25 pts), Cryus Baguio (16), and Tenorio (8). A decoy play executed by the Aces with nine seconds to go led to a completed three-pointer by Parada, cutting what was once a 13-point deficit to just 86-85. But Duncil's two foul shots at the other end sealed the outcome of the match in Air21's favor. — JVP, GMA News