The Alaska Aces rallied in
the final three minutes to upend NLEX, while June Mar Fajardo registered
another dominant perforamance for SMB in 2014-2015 PBA Philippine Cup action
last night.
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| Calvin Abueva and June Mar Fajardo both had monster games last night! |
Game Capsules (adapted
from InterAKTV):
ALASKA ACES over NLEX ROAD WARRIORS, 90-84
The league-leading Alaska
Aces had to scramble in the endgame to scrape by a hot-shooting NLEX Road
Warriors squad, 90-84, in the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup. The win gave Alaska its
eighth win in nine games and kept the Aces at the top of the standings. Dondon
Hontiveros was the hot hand for Alaska, hitting 5 threes on his way to 21
points in just 22 minutes of play off the bench. 2013 Rookie of the Year Calvin
Abueva also shone in this contest, registering 16 points, 19 rebounds, 4
assists, and 1 steal. Abueva has been filling the sheets with consistency this
season, and is one of the favorites to cop the Best Player of the Conference,
especially if Alaska goes deep into the next phase. Cyrus Baguio, Sonny Thoss,
and JV Casio all did well, too, with 11 markers apiece. On the other end, Mark
Borboran scored a career-high 22 points to pace NLEX, hitting 5 threes on top
of 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He was backstopped by the combined 27
markers of Mac Cardona and Jonas Villanueva. Top big man Asi Taulava struggled
a bit in this game, dropping a pedestrian line of 10 points and 5 rebounds.
With a 3-6 slate, NLEX is mired in the bottom half of the standings and though
it looks like the Road Warriors will advance to the next round, they will
probably stare at a twice-to-beat disadvantage against whomever they will face.
Line of the Game: Calvin Abueva - 16 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal.
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| Calvin Abueva continues to live up to his moniker. |
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| Rico Villanueva stepped up for NLEX, but it was all in vain. |
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| Sonny Thoss tries a reverse lay-up against Asi Taulava. |
SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over MERALCO
BOLTS, 88-77
June Mar Fajardo’s
dominance came to the fore again as the San Miguel Beermen drubbed the Meralco
Bolts, 88-77, in the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup. This is San Miguel’s eighth win
against just one defeat, which places them in a tie with the Alaska Aces for first
place in the team standings.Not surprisingly, Fajardo dominated the undersized
Bolts, who missed the services of starting big man Reynel Hugnatan, by scoring
21 points on top of 11 rebounds, while shooting 6/11 from the field. Fajardo
got a lot of help in this one, as rookie wingman Ronald Pascual unloaded 15
points on the strength of three triples while also hauling down 8 boards.
Former MVP Arwind Santos also did well, tallying 15 markers, 5 rebounds, and 3
assists, while Ronald Tubid added 10 points off the bench. As for Meralco,
Cliff Hodge impressed with 19 points on 9/12 FG shooting, while Jared Dillinger
tossed in 13 points. Point guard play was a big issue for Meralco as Simon
Atkins played just 3 minutes and Mike Cortez shot 2/10 from the floor.
Line of the Game: June Mar Fajardo - 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 6/11 FGs.
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| Cliff Hodge was one of the few bright spots for Meralco. |
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| June Mar Fajardo pulls up over John Ferriols. |
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| Ronald Pascual had a breakout game for SMB. |
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