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ALDRECH Ramos scored all his 25 points as Mahindra kept Alaska at bay in the second half and the Enforcers went on to snap a three-game slide in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations with a 102-94 victory over the Aces at Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Ramos came off the bench to hit 11-of-15 attempts from the field, including two from beyond trifectaville, to help the Enforcers fend off numerous comebacks by the Aces.
Mahindra rose to 4-4 and stayed firmly in the hunt for a place in the playoffs.
Alaska took its first back-to-back losses in the conference and missed reclaiming a piece of the lead after dropping to 5-3, now tied for third with idle Barangay Ginebra.
Augustus Gilchrist fired 16 points, had 15 rebounds and seven assists, and three more locals tossed in twin digits for the Enforcers, who will be clashing with Meralco next week.
“It was a very important game for us because we were coming off (a three-game) losing streak,” Mahindra coach Chito Victolero told reporters. “We needed to bounce back (from those losses) because we know we still have a chance (to make the playoffs).”
Defending champion Tropang TNT ended Rain or Shine’s three-game winning run later in the night after a 114-103 victory that also had the Texters climbing to an even 4-4 record like their victims and the Enforcers.
Shane Edwards had 24 points and Calvin Abueva 15, and the duo tried everything in the fourth quarter by scoring a combined 20 to keep the Aces in the fight.
But the Aces fell short just the same, with Ramos draining his two triples inside the final 3:19 that helped the heavy underdog Enforcers put the game to bed, 96-87, time down to 1:45.
Ramos missed the first three shots he took, all in the first half, but was smoking hot when Mahindra needed it the most. He scored a total of 16 in the fourth on a 7-for-8 clip.
The first half was a low-scoring contest before the Enforcers methodically imposed their will in the third to take a 76-65 lead going into the final 12 minutes.
“I think six (victories) would do it,” Victolero said, when asked how many wins he thought his team would need to march past this round.
The scores:
First Game
MAHINDRA 102—Ramos 25, Canaleta 17, Gilchrist 16, Dehesa 14, Revilla 10, Bagatsing 5, Ballesteros 5, Pinto 5, Guinto 3, De Vera 2, Yee 0, Jaime 0, Digregorio 0.
ALASKA 94—Edwards 24, Abueva 15, Manuel 12, Banchero 10, Jazul 10, Thoss 7, Baguio 6, Hontiveros 6, Dela Rosa 4, Eximiniano 0, Racal 0, Menk 0.
Quarters: 16-16, 43-39, 76-65, 102-94
Second Game
TNT 114—Castro 26, Simon 20, Reyes J. 12, Reyes R. 12, Ababaou 11, Rosario 11, Carey 7, Williams 6, Tautuaa 4, De Ocampo 3, Rosser 2.
RAIN OR SHINE 103—Quiñahan 25, Charlo 22, Cruz 21, Ahanmisi 11, Norwood 8, Chan 5, Almazan 4, Tiu 3, Belga 2, Ibanes 2, Lee 0, Nimes 0, Ponferada 0, Trollano 0.
Quarters: 31-23, 59-44, 92-75, 114-103