PBA: Hontiveros, Abueva hand Alaska its second victory

It looks like Calvin Abueva feels right at home.   The San Sebastian standout and 2012 second overall pick had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Alaska Aces, but it was Dondon Hontiveros shooting the lights out in the second half that helped the Aces win against the Petron Blaze Boosters, 88-86, at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday.   "Ilang days pa lang ako nagpa-practice sa kanila. Sabi ko na lang sa sarili ko, kung ano ginagawa ko ng college ako, gagawin ko," said Abueva, who joined the squad shortly after SSC-R was beaten in two games in the NCAA Final Four. "Sabi ko sa sarili ko mas grabe laro ng PBA kasi andito lahat ng physical game. Pinaghandaan ko 'to kaya okay lang," he added. "It's nice to have Calvin. He brings so much to our team energy-wise. I just let him be Calvin," said Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo. "He's gonna be the backbone of this franchise. Nakakahawa energy niya."   The Aces found themselves down eight entering the fourth, 65-57, before Hontiveros and RJ Jazul went on a flurry from three-point country to take the lead, 73-72. Joseph Yeo responded with a baseline drive to give Petron a one-point lead, before Hontiveros hit another three at the 6:11 mark, 76-74.   After a split from the line by Dorian Peña, Abeuva took over, tipping in a Jazul-missed floater, then hitting a jump shot of his own, 80-75.   Entering the last four minutes of the game, Alex Cabagnot sent a bullet pass to a free Chris Lutz for a baseline three, while Jay Washington worked his way inside to tie the game at 80-all with 3:19 remaining.   Hontiveros, however, refused to be denied, hitting another trey at the 2:50 mark to give the Aces a three-point lead, 83-80, before Jayvee Casio sank two crucial free throws to bring the lead up to five with 1:53 to go in the game.   Back-to-back lay-ups for Lutz and Washington cut the lead to one with 68 seconds remaining, but Mac Baracael hit a tough baseline jumper at the other end to get the separation back.   After a timeout by Petron head coach Olsen Racela, Cyrus Baguio completed a steal off the inbounds. Casio went for a drive with six seconds remaining in the Alaska shot clock. Though the point guard missed, Baracael was there for an offensive rebound. The former FEU standout failed to realize however that the shot clock did not reset, as the Aces settled for a long heave that went wide.   Petron, which had 18 seconds to work with, went for an Alex Cabagnot three. Baracael was there for a late challenge that resulted in a foul that gave Cabagnot three free throw attempts with 8.1 seconds remaining.   Cabagnot made the first and third attempts as the Boosters found themselves down by one point. Hontiveros, who was sent to the line at the other end with 6.7 remaining, made the first free throw but missed the second, giving Petron a shot to tie or win the game.   In the end, the last shot went to Washington, who was unsuccessful with his three-point heave to hand Alaska their second straight win.   Hontiveros was the best player of the game with 17 points and seven rebounds with a 4-of-7 shooting clip from beyond the arc, while Cyrus Baguio carried the Aces with 21 in the earlier quarters.   "We got some tough guys here. We were really blessed to get Jayvee (Casio) and Dondon (Hontiveros) for LA (Tenorio)," said Trillo.   Lutz scored 20 for Petron while Washington and Cabagnot added 15 and 12, respectively.   With the win, Alaska now climbs to the middle of the standings with a 2-2 win-loss card, while Petron continues to struggle, joining Air21 and GlobalPort at the bottom of the standings at 1-3. — KBK, GMA News The scores:   ALASKA 88 - Baguio 21, Hontiveros 17, Abueva 12, Casio 9, Thoss 8, Jazul 6, Baracael 6, Espinas 3, Reyes 2, Eman 2, Dela Cruz 2.   PETRON 86 - Lutz 20, Washington 15, Cabagnot 12, Santos 11, Pena 11, Miranda 7, Yeo 4, Ildefonso 4, Mallari 2.   Quarter scoring: 17-18, 37-41, 57-65, 88-86