PBA: Walker, Thoss power Aces in semis opener win against Rain or Shine

The Alaska Aces avenged their 51-point drubbing earlier this conference and outlasted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 97-93, in their first semifinals game of the 2014 PBA Governors' Cup, Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Henry Walker literally stole the game from Rain or Shine's hands by swiping an inbounds pass with 6.3 seconds left while the Elasto Paiters were trying to protect a two-point lead. With RoS over the penalty, Walker was fouled and converted two freebies to seal the win.

Walker tallied 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Sonny Thoss and Vic Manuel provided front court support with 16 and 14 points, respectively, and eight rebounds apiece. Jvee Casio, RJ Jazul, and Calvin Abueva each scored seven points.

Walker drew praise from coach Alex Compton for carrying his team the entire game. "I thought Henry was great down the stretch, he was aggressive," he said. "He used his size to his advantage."

"I thought the biggest thing defensively was in the first quarter; we held Rain or Shine to [under] 20 points. Finally, at least for this game, we held them to under 100," he said. He rued though that Rain or Shine was still shooting three-pointers "like free throws," saying that had to be addressed if they hoped to win the five-game series.

The Aces will try to take a 2-0 lead on Sunday with much better spirits. "As much as we don't talk about the 51-point loss, you guys keep reminding us," said Compton. "But at least we know we can win against this team."

Ryan Arana scored a fast break bucket just six seconds into the game and set the tone for an aggressive Rain or Shine squad in the first quarter. The Elasto Painters ran up an 11-2 lead on a Gabe Norwood and-one, before the Aces warmed up. Sonny Thoss and Henry Walker initiated Alaska's offense from the post, steering them to a respectable 24-19 deficit by the end of the first.

After RJ Jazul tied the game at 24-all with a triple, the Elasto Painters burst ahead with a 9-0 run by running off of Alaska's misses, 33-24. But Thoss checked back into the game and pulverized the defense from the left block. Thoss rang up 10 points during a 16-0 run, seizing a 40-33 lead before Rain or Shine cleaned up their act. Arizona Reid drained a triple at 2:56 to end a five-minute drought, and eventually trimmed Alaska's lead by halftime, 46-45.


Alaska couldn't get comfortable looks in the third period, forcing Walker to bail out the Aces with mixed results. At the other end, Reid thrived for the Elasto Painters by staying active around both rims, while Paul Lee's outside bombing pushed them ahead to 65-57. However, the Aces wore them out in the last six minutes, this time with Gabby Espinas and Calvin Abueva reprising Thoss' role beneath the hoop. At the end of the third, Alaska trailed, but just slightly, 74-73.

Lee and Jeff Chan stepped up in the scoring department during the fourth, but their defense was key to emerging with a 93-88 lead by keeping the Aces' front court in check. It was the Elasto Painters' turn to fall silent in the last four minutes as the Aces put them in the penalty. Alaska went 3-of-6 from the line before Vic Manuel and Walker banged in consecutive shots to seize a 95-93 lead.

Coming off a rash of misses, the Elasto Painters caught a break though when they drew a loose ball foul during a scramble with 6.2 seconds left. They called timeout but would not get a final shot off. Walker swiped the inbounds pass and drew the intentional foul with three seconds left, and made both charities to make it a two-possession game.

Rain or Shine got a final shot off, a long Beau Belga airball that perfectly punctuated their last string of events.

Alaska shot the ball at a 36-of-84 (42.9 percent) clip and made 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) on free throws. Rain or Shine shot 33-of-72 (45.8 percent) from the field and 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) from the line.

The Elasto Painters went 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from the three-point line, while the Aces went 3-of-21 (14.3 percent). Rain or Shine led 15-6 in fast break points, while Alaska went 14-4 on second-chance points.

Arizona Reid led Rain or Shine with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Paul Lee had 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the arc, while Jeff Chan supplied 14 points. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

ALASKA 97 - Walker 31, Thoss 16, Manuel 14, Casio 7, Jazul 7, Abueva 7, Espinas 5, Hontiveros 5, Baguio 5, Dela Cruz 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 93 - Reid 27, Lee 19, Chan 14, Tiu 8, Norwood 6, Arana 5, Belga 4, Almazan 3, Ibanes 3, Cruz 2, Nuyles 2, Rodriguez 0.

Quarterscores: 19-24, 46-45, 73-74, 97-93