Alaska defeats Magnolia to earn semis berth

The Alaska Aces are marching on to the semifinals after defeating the Magnolia Hotshots 89-78 in the quarterfinals of the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday.

The Aces had a twice to beat advantage, but Tim Cone’s squad just needed one game to eliminate the Hotshots. Vic Manuel was instrumental off the bench, scoring 22 points in less than 25 minutes while grabbing nine rebounds.

Diamon Simpson led the starters with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Chris Banchero tallied 14 markers. Sonny Thoss and Kevin Racel chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Save for brief periods in the opening minutes of the game and in the second quarter, Alaska led the whole way. The Aces led by 16 entering the final frame, but Magnolia unleashed a late 16-4 run to cut the lead to four with 3:30 remaining, 82-78.

Vic Manuel and Chris Banchero then responded with a 7-0 run to end the game and give Alaska the victory.

Wayne Chism paced Magnolia with 20 points and 15 rebounds, but the import got little help from the rest of the locals. Ian Sangalang was the only other player in double figures with 14 points off the bench, while the rest of the starters combined for just 22 more points. —KBK, GMA News