Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Calvin Abueva knows better not to force the issue if the ball isn’t bouncing his way.
That’s exactly what he did on Sunday, opting to share the ball as he struggled to get his shots going while being the motor that kept Alaska’s engine running to cruise to a 93-74 victory over Blackwater.
“I couldn’t score, so I just wanted to assist my teammates,” he said. “When I came in the fourth quarter, I just tried to be aggressive, hustle down on rebounds. All I’m thinking was as long as my teammates scored, that’s ok with me.”
Abueva only recorded three points on 0-of-10 shooting from the field, but that didn’t stop him from doing the dirty work with his 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks.
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed with head coach Alex Compton all praise for his energetic forward.
“He played just like exactly what we’re looking for.”
“He helped us on the rebounds, he got the loose ball, and he got a lot of shots for his teammates. I told Calvin that he helped us basically win this game, especially that part of the fourth quarter. He made so many extra unselfish plays that as coaches we love.”
But for Abueva, all he’s thinking about is the victory that gave the Aces their breakthrough in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“We got rattled in our first game. We looked tired. But tonight, we did our system and did all the right things in this game,” he said.
Alaska turns its attention to Columbian Dyip on Friday.