PBA: Alaska Aces trump San Mig Coffee Mixers

(Updated 10:25pm) The Alaska Aces avenged an opening day loss and kept the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers winless, 84-80, in a game that was less close than the final score made it seem, as part of the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup, Friday, at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Both teams had lost their initial assignments, with Alaska falling 87-74 to the Rain or Shien Elasto Painters, and the San Mig Coffee Mixers falling to sister team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 86-69.

The reigning 2013 Governors' Cup champs San Mig Coffee Mixers still seem to be suffering from a title hangover. They beat Alaska in two games in the quarterfinals, en route to lifting that trophy.

This time around, Alaska put on a masterful performance on both ends of the court against an injury-riddled Mixers team. The Aces' superb second-half play erected a 14-point difference midway through the final period, which allowed them to coast until the final buzzer.

The team dedicated the win to team owner Fred Uytengsu, who celebrated his 52nd birthday today. After the game, team governor Joaqui Trillo disclosed that the Alaska organization pledged to donate an additional P52,000 for every point difference during the win, for a total of P208,000.

Sonny Thoss led Alaska with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, along with eight rebounds, a steal and two blocks, prior to fouling out. Cyrus Baguio was right behind him with 18 markers, five dimes and two swipes, while Jvee Casio poured in 15 points.

Alaska exploited San Mig Coffee in the paint in the first quarter. The Mixers' flimsy defense, combined with several turnovers, led to a 21-9 Aces lead defined by and-ones notched by Gabby Espinas, Cyrus Baguio and JVee Casio.

At 5:11, Mark Barroca sank a free throw after Espinas was charged with a technical foul. San Mig Coffee slowly got points on the board off scrappy play by Marc Pingris, though he had to exit soon after receiving his third personal foul. Benchwarmers Jerwin Gaco and Val Acuna picked up the slack for the Mixers and wrestled the deficit to single digits after the first quarter, 27-16.

RJ Jazul pushed Alaska's lead to as much as 12, 32-20, with a three-pointer early in the second period. The Mixers ripped into it with strong moves to the basket, beginning with a Barroca and-one on the fast break. The bucket triggered a 18-9 rally for the Mixers, who now trailed by three, 41-38, with James Yap and Pingris scoring nine and six markers, respectively.

Alaska, which converted just four field goals in the last nine minutes of the first half, was saved by Sonny Thoss midrange jumper with 33 seconds to go, preserving a 43-38 advantage at the halftime break.

After two quarters, Alaska led 21-12 in turnover points, as they exploited the sloppy play of the Mixers.


The third quarter began with both teams trading blows and getting shots inside off effective movement in the shaded area. However, triples by Jazul and Aldrech Ramos allowed Alaska to maintain their edge, 57-51.

The Mixers were the first to blink, and empty offensive possessions midway through the quarter translated into Espinas and Baguio combining for a 9-2 swing, 66-53, with two and a half minutes left. Activity down low by 2013 second overall pick Ian Sangalang helped San Mig Coffee tread water and get within seven points, before Baguio knocked down a triple with a tick left in the frame to keep the Aces up by double-digits, 69-59, after three quarters.

Within a minute of the fourth, Casio rifled in a trey and converted a floater to kickstart eight unanswered points by Alaska to thoroughly knock the wind out of the Mixers' sails. San Mig Coffee wouldn't get their first field goal until a Raffy Reavis and-one at 6:05, 79-63. The Mixers did manage to close the gap with a last-ditch 17-5 exchange to finish the game, but never seriously threatened to retake the lead.

Rookie Justin Melton joined Joe Devance and PJ Simon on the injured list after hurting his finger during the season opener against Barangay Ginebra earlier this week.

James Yap led the San Mig Coffee charge, but he was a cold 7-of-19 from the field for 19 points, and converted only half of his six free throw attempts. Ian Sangalang added 15 points of his own, though he had only three rebounds, while Marc Pingris put together a line of 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Alaska owned the second-chance points stat, 11-4, and was sharper from downtown, making 42.9 percent versus 20 percent by San Mig Coffee. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Alaska 84 - Thoss 19, Baguio 18, Casio 15, Jazul 8, Ramos 8, Abueva 7, Espinas 6, Dela Cruz 2, Avenido 1, Hontiveros 0, Eman 0

San Mig Coffee 80 - Yap 19, Sanggalang 15, Barroca 13, Pingris 11, Reavis 8, Mallari 6, Holstein 4, Acuna 2, Gaco 2, Alvarez 0, De Ocampo 0, Cawaling 0

Quarter scoring: 26-17, 43-38, 69-59, 84-80