Manuel shrugs off slow start, sparks Aces anew

JayR Reyes vs Vic Manuel. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

LUCENA CITY – Struggling to get his game going for the first three quarters, Vic Manuel trusted his coaches’ advice.

And he repaid their faith with another phenomenal performance.

“The coaches just told me that I will get my game once I got back to the court,” he said in Filipino, after only having six points and five rebounds in foul-plagued three quarters.

Waiting for the right time to strike, coach Alex Compton patiently held Manuel up until the start of the fourth quarter. And with 12 minutes away from a chance to go 3-0 in the best-of-7 series of the 2016 Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup, Manuel did his damage and did not let the opportunity slip away.

At the 9:32 mark of the final frame, the hardworking forward baited JayR Reyes to swing his elbow on a rebound play.

“I anticipated the elbow. I exaggerated a bit too,” quipped Manuel, as the sequence saw him floored and in turn, taking Reyes out with a flagrant foul penalty two.

That exchange proved to be the turning point of the game as Manuel uncorked seven straight points and help Alaska snatch an 82-75 victory over San Miguel. He finished with 17 points, 11 of which coming in the payoff period, to go with seven rebounds.

“When I started hitting my shot in the fourth quarter, I knew I’d be able to do it again,” said Manuel, as he provided the spark anew for the Aces.

With a sweep looming, Manuel, seemingly borrowing a page out of Compton’s book, still refuses to acknowledge that the series could be over: “Di ko pa rin masasabi.”

“Until we get that championship, I can’t say. Once we win the championship, that’s the only time we’ll be able to say it’s over,” he said.

Manuel also said that regardless of June Mar Fajardo’s status for Game 4, Alaska will remain determined to finish it off.

“What we’re doing now, even if June Mar is there ot not, we have the same preparations for them. We just play,” he said, failing to hide his excitement from a possible coronation at Philsports Arena two days later.

“We will give our best so we can win.”