PBA: Alaska avoids upset, escapes tough-luck TerraFirma

Vic Manuel leads bounce back win for Alaska Aces. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines — Alaska dodged a bullet following a 99-96 win over TerraFirma in the PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday at AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center in Smart Clark Giga City in Pampanga.

Vic Manuel had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Aces, who picked up their fourth victory in seven games.

JVee Casio added 11 points, including the go-ahead drive, 97-96, with 1:34 remaining.

The Dyip, who blew a golden opportunity to claim their first win of the season, took a 96-95 edge after a 3-pointer by Eric Camson with 2:37 to go.

TerraFirma, however, wouldn’t score again as it went on to miss its last seven attempts, including a good look at a potential game-tying triple by Camson as time ran out.

CJ Perez led all scorers with 25 points but even he couldn’t buy a basket when it mattered most for the Dyip, who fell to 0-5.

Juami Tiongson added 21 points built on six 3-pointers for TerraFirma, which lost the game despite hitting 15 triples.