Alaska survives Ginebra's 4th quarter comeback

Alaska endured Barangay Ginebra’s big fourth quarter run to score a come-from-behind 76-72 win and claimed Game 1 of the quarterfinals series in the PBA Fiesta Cup Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces appeared on the verge of an extensive collapse after the Kings rallied back from as much as an eight-point deficit to take the lead, 67-64, early in the final period. Alaska, behind import Diamon Simpson and Cyrus Baguio, kept their composure and brushed aside the pressure to answer back behind an 8-5 run to knot the count at 72. New acquisition Topex Robinson then came through with his only point for the night, nailing a jumper from 18-feet to give Alaska the lead for good, 74-72, in the final two minutes of the low-scoring game. "Execution and our composure helped us win," said Baguio, the former Ginebra guard acquired by the Aces this conference following a major trade that also involved two-time MVP Willie Miller. "We know Ginebra can comeback in this game," Baguio added. The Kings did just that, coming back from as much as a 23-31 deficit in the second quarter to take a three-point lead in the pivotal fourth behind Ronald Tubid’s plays. But the league’s crowd darlings failed to sustain the onslaught and fell flat on their feet when the Aces made their final push. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is set on Sunday at the Astrodome. Simpson came through with a 20-20 performance of 20 points and 22 rebounds, getting the better end of his one-on-one duel with Ginebra counterpart Chris Daniels, who finished with 16 and 12. Baguio and Joe DeVance had 15 each for the Aces, while birthday boy L.A. Tenorio added 13 on the day he turned 26. Tubid was the only local to finish in double figures for Ginebra with 13. The high-scoring trio of Miller, Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand were limited to a combined 19 points. – JVP, GMANews.TV