Jvee Casio not only scored 10 points within a minute, he also nailed the winning basket. Photo by Nuki Sabio, PBA
JVee Casio was a tiny, one-man battering ram for Alaska inside the final three minutes last night, hitting the baskets that hurt Talk ‘N Text the most in a 94-92 PBA Philippine Cup thriller that sustained the Aces’ scorching run at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Casio scored 12 points in a closing 22-9 run highlighted by a rare four-point play and three straight triples, and the marginal, old-fashioned stretching layup with 2.6 seconds left that sealed the Aces’ fifth straight win in a second-running 5-2 card.
The defending champion Tropang Texters watched Casio obliterate their 11-point lead with under three minutes left, and they fell in a heap when Larry Fonacier’s potential overtime-forging jumper rattled out of the rim at the buzzer.
Talk ‘N Text saw its six-game unbeaten run come to a halt despite erasing a 12-point first half deficit and seemingly having complete command late in the fourth quarter.
“What can you say? He (Casio) made us look good singlehandedly like that,” Alaska coach Luigi Trillo told reporters.
Casio finished with 25 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, and rookie Calvin Abueva had 14 points, including a trey of his own with 1:09 left that tied it all up at 90.
Abueva, who also had five rebounds, five steals, four assists and two blocks, fouled out with 46.6 seconds left and sent Kelly Williams to the foul line for 92-90, before Cyrus Baguio knotted it all up again when Williams was called for a goal-tending violation.
In the first game, Air21 crushed Petron Blaze silly, 97-76, to snap a four-game losing streak.
Mark Isip scored 22 points and Rob Reyes was 8-of-9 from the field on the way to 17 as the Express took leads of as many as 25 points in their worthiest showing this season that got them rising to 2-5 overall.
Petron, which dropped to 3-4, saw an end to its first winning streak of the season—two games—after being held to its lowest output of the conference by a squad so few thought stood a chance against the rock-solid Boosters before tip-off.
The scores:
First Game
AIR21 97—Isip 22, Reyes 17, Custodio 12, Canaleta 12, Omolon 11, Baclao 9, Wilson 5, Taha 4, Arboleda 3, Ritualo 2, Atkins 0.
PETRON 76—Santos 15, Lutz 13, Cabagnot 11, Washington 9, Mallari 6, Yeo 6, Lassiter 5, Lanete 4, Pena 4, Miranda 3, Sison 0, Duncil 0.
Quarters: 34-23, 48-42, 79-58, 97-76
Second Game
ALASKA 94—Casio 25, Baguio 16, Abueva 14, Thoss 13, Jazul 8, Baracael 6, Hontiveros 6, Espinas 4, Reyes 2, Dela Cruz 0, Belasco 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 92—Alapag 17, De Ocampo 15, Reyes 13, Williams 13, Peek 11, Castro 10, Fonacier 5, Gamalinda 3, Aban 3, Carey 2.
Quarters: 29-20, 52-45, 68-73, 94-92