Diamon Simpson returns for Alaska. PBA IMAGES
It was a day of fruitful returns for Alaska as it locked up the no. 2 seed after extinguishing Phoenix, 114-91, in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Friday at Cuneta Astrodome.
Former import Diamon Simpson and Jeron Teng’s timely comeback helped the Aces secure the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals after finishing the eliminations with an 8-3 record.
Although TNT, which holds a 7-3 card, can still catch Alaska’s record, the Aces hold the tiebreak after their 110-100 victory over the KaTropa on May 13.
Alaska’s 34-17 first quarter lead to set the tone for the game, holding off the Fuel Masters’ advancements the rest of the way.
“I’m really happy that we played this way even though we switched imports at the last minute,” said Aces head coach Alex Compton as Simpson replaced Antonio Campbell just a day before their game against the Fuel Masters.
Despite an 86-73 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Aces pushed the tempo even further going on a 16-4 run which Vic Manuel punctuated with eight straight layups for a 102-77 lead with 4:33 left in the game.
Manuel led all scorers with 28 points with eight boards for Alaska while Simpson had 19 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.
Chris Banchero orchestrated the offense for Alaska finishing with 14 points and seven assists while Simon Enciso had a similar line with 10 points and seven dimes.
Teng had seven points on 18 minutes of playing time in his first game back from the stabbing incident in June.
Eugene Phelps led the Fuel Masters with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Phoenix is out of the playoff race after finishing with a 5-6 record.