Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Defiant in defeat, Alaska forward Calvin Abueva vowed to get back at NLEX after the Aces’ 99-105 loss in Game 1 of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals on Monday.
“Makakabawi kami sa kanila (We’ll get back at them),” Abueva promised.
Alaska coach Alex Compton said the Aces need to play with more control if they want to tie the best-of-three series in Game 2 on Wednesday.
“We were too overeager and the competitive spirit needs to be a little more directed to executing our game plan,” he said.
Raring to jump out the gates, the Aces found themselves behind, staring at an 11-point hole, 50-39, at one point.
“In the first half, we were stagnant. We didn’t move and we didn’t move the ball, and that really helped them get transition baskets. I thought that was the biggest part of the first half, that they did a good job right from the get-go against us,” shared Compton.
Alaska did a much better job after the break, getting back in the game and even held a five-point lead, 84-79 with 8:59 left to play that set up the tight finish.
“I think our energy was much better directed in the second half,” he said. “I really felt like we started to play the way we have talked about playing, the way that we wanted to play: keeping the aggression and the energy on defense and with the press, and moving the ball on offense and sharing it.”
The Aces even had a shot to steal the game late, but Abueva and Sonny Thoss missed their shots from close range while Road Warriors rookie Kiefer Ravena owned the endgame.
“Hats off to NLEX. They did a really good job of closing out late,” remarked Compton. “I felt like it seemed to me like we must have missed five around-the-basket little bunnies, and even that last possession, we executed our play great but it felt just late. We got a lot of good looks but we couldn’t just knock it down.”
Despite the loss, Compton is optimistic leading up to Wednesday’s do-or-die tiff.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to bounce back,” said Compton. “The great thing about a series is we’re not done. Hopefully, we’ll be able to clean some things up and prepare for adjustments on their side.”