Alab seeks revenge on Mono

On the heels of a stirring win over one of the title favorites in the Asean Basketball League, San Miguel Alab Pilipinas aims to exact revenge on Mono Vampire of Thailand Tuesday as they square off for the second time in Season 10 at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The game at 4 p.m. is the second of a tough back-to-back homestand for Alab, which exploded for 40 points in the final period to rally past the Singapore Slingers, 90-83, on Sunday at Sta. Rosa Multi Purpose Gym in Laguna.

Mono enters the match on a three-game winning run that started with an emphatic 111-76 triumph over Alab in their season opener last Nov. 17 in Bangkok.

But the Filipino club has since acquired former Mono import Sam Deguara to man the point. The 7-foot-5 Maltese center scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds in his debut for coach Jimmy Alapag’s team.

Alapag is hoping that the sluggish start against Singapore won’t happen against Mono’s formidable squad.

“I thought we got off to a sluggish start and I wanted the pace of the game to be a little bit faster,” said Alapag who steered the Filipino club to the title in ABL Season 8.

Alab will be counting on import Khalif Wyatt, who caught fire with 20 of his 28 points in the final period against the Slingers.

Wyatt staying aggressive will be key for Alab like point guard Jason Brickman. INQ