By Diego de la Paz
QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) – Alaska survived a huge scare from second-seed Meralco late in the ballgame and managed to emerge victorious via a 76-70 count to book the last seat in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Calvin Abueva, seen as the leading Best Player of the Conference candidate, topped all scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds, followed by Chris Banchero with 18 markers and Rob Dozier with 14 points and 18 rebounds for the Aces.
This is the third consecutive finals appearance for the Aces, and its fourth in the last five conferences under the guidance of Alex Compton. Also, this is the first time that both top seeds failed to advance to the Finals since the 2004 Fiesta Conference, where Barangay Ginebra Kings faced the Yeng Guiao-mentored Red Bull Barako.
“There are many alibis our guys could have used, but our guys didn’t make any excuses and they played until the end,” said Alaska Head Coach Alex Compton. “It was tough and they’re well-coached. But I’m so proud of my guys today, they stepped up and they showed great resolve today.”
Dillinger stepped up for Meralco with 18 points. Arinze Onuaku contributed 15 points and 18 rebounds, with Amer playing quality minutes in racking up 12 markers in the loss.
Following a tight first half, Alaska was seemingly headed to the finals by coasting through easy street early with an eight point lead in tow by the midway point of the fourth quarter, but Meralco had other plans.
Jared Dillinger and Baser Amer went berserk, creating a 15-6 tear to momentarily seize the lead, 67-66, with exactly three minutes left.
But the Aces had the steadier hand, led by the likes of veterans Calvin Abueva and RJ Jazul who made big plays down the stretch to stare down at the Bolts and take home the win.
Neither team led by more than single digit in the first half, as Meralco managed to claim a six point spread, 19-13, with three minutes left in the first quarter. Alaska led by a high of seven at the midway point of the second, 35-28.
Despite Alaska’s momentum, Meralco answered back led by Baser Amer, who failed to play a minute in Game 4 and making the most out of his opportunity with back-to-back triples late in the second period to lift the Bolts to a slim 39-37 halftime advantage.
