PBA: Aces snap two-game skid with win over Barako

The Alaska Aces leaned on two cluch free throws from import Wendell McKines to defeat the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 91-89, on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome, in the 2013 PBA Governors Cup.

The Aces (4-4) temporarily tie the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the fourth spot in the rankings to keep their twice-to-beat hopes alive. Meanwhile, Barako Bull (4-5) blew their own bid to get into the top four, settling for sixth place in the rankings

Trailing by one with 23.5 ticks left, Tony Dela Cruz and Wendell McKines came up with crucial offensive rebounds and showed poise from the charity stripe, to seize a 91-89 lead in a tightly contested game. Barako Bull called a timeout and moved the ball to a wide-open Ronjay Buenafe, but his three-point attempt at a game-winner fell just to the side of the rim.

Cyrus Baguio was feted as player of the game for his 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals. McKines put together 21 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, whole Jvee Casio and Gabby Espinas added 14 and 11 markers, respectively.

Barako Bull exhibited good ball movement early on, nabbing four assisted layups to make up a 10-0 run, before a JVee Casio triple gave Alaska their first points. Casio and Sonny Thoss then began converting from the perimeter, while a Cyrus Baguio transition three-pointer cut the Barako lead to one, 16-15.

With under four minutes to play, charities by Wendell McKines edged Alaska forward, 18-16. In the last two minutes though, Ronjay Buenafe countered with five straight points, while the Aces squandered the last possession of the quarter and conceded a transition hoop to Shawn Weinstein, 25-20.

Alaska leaned on their stingy defense in the second quarter, denying Barako Bull any easy looks. With Thoss complementing their snipers, the Aces went on a 16-6 run to start the second frame, 36-31.

Barako Bull countered by forcing the issue, as Mike Singletary and JC Intal chipped their deficit down to one. Singletary hit some charities late in the quarter, to equalize the halftime tally, 39-39.


After the break, McKines and Singletary went at each other hard, but eight straight points by the former rescued Alaska from a deficit, and gave them a 57-55 lead at the 3:20 mark. Neither team shied from contact in the lane, but Alaska's inability to finish with contact cost them their advantage. Instead, strong drives by Singletary and Enrico Villanueva gave Barako Bull a 64-62 lead after three quarters.

Barako Bull conceded an early make to Gabby Espinas in the fourth period, but countered with an 8-0 run, capped by a Villanueva fadeaway, to push Alaska into a timeout at the 9:57 mark.

The Aces tried to rally around five straight from Calvin Abueva, though that plan fizzled when he drew his sixth personal foul midway through the quarter. Alaska, however, were relentless, and capitalized on Barako Bull's mishaps from the free throw line. Baguio drew an and-one in transition, and Dondon Hontiveros added a three-pointer to slice the Barako lead to one, 78-77.

Barako Bull tried to recapture their momentum with huge buckets from Buenafe and Singletary, until Alaska caught fire from downtown. Casio and Baguio combined for three straight treys, and a crucial bucket by Tony Dela Cruz put them on top, 88-87, with a minute and change left to play.

After a botched drive by Singletary, Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo threw a fit over a perceived non-call. That earned him a technical foul, and Buenafe was sent to the line. However, he was unable to punish Trillo's burst of emotions, coming up empty. But, after retaining ball possession, Barako Bull isolated Mike Singletary for a baseline drive, which handed them an 89-88 lead with 23.5 seconds left.

The Aces burned their final timeout, but on the ensuing play, McKines missed a three-pointer, only for Dela Cruz to recover the carom and draw a foul on the way back up. Dela Cruz only made the first, but McKines recovered the miss anew. McKines drew contact and trooped to the line, this time making both, 91-89, with 12.9 ticks on the clock.

Michael Singletary had 38 points in 42 minutes for Barako, along with 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals and no turnovers. Ronjay Buenafe made 2-o-f7 from downtown en route to 12 markers, while Danny Seigle managed 11 points.

Barako scored 33 points off 22 Alaska turnovers, and got out and ran for 15 transition markers. Alaska however evened things somewhat with a 20-5 difference in second-chance points, plus a better percentage from deep, 37.0 percent versus 21.9 percent. - RAF, GMA News