Abueva celebrates 30th birthday by helping Aces win

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

ANTIPOLO — There’s no way Calvin Abueva would let Alaska lose on Sunday. Not on his 30th birthday.

More often than not, Abueva was all over the floor doing a little bit of everything for the Aces, who were able to hold on to a 105-98 victory over the GlobalPort Batang Pier.

“Of course, I don’t want that to happen. It was [God] who gave us this win,” said Abueva in Filipino.

The energetic forward finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the victory, with the bulk of his contributions coming after Alaska stared at a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.

“We really gave it our all in this game and we wish we could continue this run,” he said.

The Aces won their sixth straight game, but Abueva refused to be satisfied, noting that there are still a lot of things to work on.

“We still need to fix our struggles in the first half. We have to show the same energy in the first half the way we do in the second half,” he said.

But if there’s one thing Abueva is wishing for, it’s far beyond basketball.

“My birthday wish is to be whole, to show that I can stand on my own feet and no longer think about anything else,” he said. “What’s important for me is to be with my children even just for my birthday.”