Strong start powers Alaska past Meralco; Barako Bull registers 2nd win

MANILA, Philippines — Alaska banked on its strong start to overpower Meralco, 98-90, Friday in the 2012 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

The Aces, struggling in the first part of the conference, have found their groove and the skidding Bolts took the heat early in the game with an early advantage.

Alaska built a 20-point several times in the first half and sustained the intensity en route to its third victory in five starts.

“We felt good especially in the first half,” said head coach Joel Banal in the post-game presser. “We were given opportunities to take open shots and we felt confident and we took them.”

Import Adam Parada had 25 points and 14 rebounds while the Aces’ one-to-punch Cyrus Baguio and L.A. Tenorio combined for 36 points in 38 minutes.

Alaska also drew a solid performance from rookie Eric Salamat who jumpstarted his squad’s charge with two triples in the opening period to finish with 10 points.

Meralco’s big three–import Earl Baron, and locals Mac Cardona and Sol Mercado–provided the scoring but their performance still wasn’t enough to follow up their first victory.

The Bolts, who recently tapped NBA veteran Barron to replace Jarrid Famous, succumbed to their fourth loss with just a win to boot.

In the other game, Barako Bull snapped a three game losing skid and stopped a hot Powerade on its tracks, 101-91.

New import Rodney White piled in 29 points  and hauled down 13 boards as the Energy grabbed their second victory after failing to snare a win in Dubai to up the record to 2-3.

Willie Miller added 24 points, 11 from the pivotal third quarter where Barako Bull never relented on the attack and kep the Tigers, who have made a living out of comebacks this season, in check.

Gary David still  finished with five points shy of the 30-point mark while reinforcement Dwayne Jones plucked 18 rebounds along with 19 markers.

The Tigers absorbed the first loss after a blistering 2-0 start.