Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Alaska waxed hot late and clipped Barangay Ginebra, 109-100, in overtime to nail its first win in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces drilled in three treys in OT to use a 13-4 spurt to break away in the endgame.
LaDontae Henton took advantage of his fresh legs in the clutch and ended up with 29 points and nine rebounds for Alaska.
Chris Banchero also made the most out of his opportunity, notching 19 markers, five steals, three boards, and three assists, while RJ Jazul got 14 points on a 4-of-7 shooting from threes to go with five rebounds, and four assists as well as the game-tying charities at 94 with 51.8 seconds remaining.
But it was JVee Casio, who sparked the pullaway in the extension, nailing a runner and a huge trey for the Aces. He finished with seven points and four assists for the game.
“We got a little momentum on JVee making a good decision on the break. We had a couple of open shots and next thing we know, we got an eight point lead. It took the steam out of them a little bit,” said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.
Alaska lost a 15-point lead, 40-25 in the second period, as debuting import Justin Brownlee, LA Tenorio, and later on Sol Mercado, chucked away the lead in the second half.
Mercado had a chance to win the game with 4.5 ticks left in the clock, but his drive to the rim went strong at the end of regulation.
Brownlee finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in his first game for Ginebra, but cramped up in the crucial stages which left the Gin Kings without their reinforcement in the clutch.
Mercado wound up with 22 markers and four boards, while Tenorio had 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
The scores:
ALASKA 109 – Henton 29, Banchero 19, Jazul 14, Abueva 12, Casio 7, Manuel 6, Thoss 6, Hontiveros 5, Menk 5, Racal 3, Baclao 2, Exciminiano 1, Magat 0.
GINEBRA 100 – Brownlee 31, Mercado 22, Tenorio 13, Aguilar 9, Ellis 8, Caguioa 4, Cruz 4, Mariano 4, Thompson 3, Devance 1, Marcelo 1, Bonifacio 0, Helterbrand 0.
Quarters: 33-25, 53-46, 76-70, 94-94, 109-100.