Alaska drubs misfiring RoS, snaps skid in PH Cup
Alaska vented its frustration on the misfiring Rain or Shine, 74-48, to get back on the winning track in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, July 28 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Aces unleashed an explosive start and led against the erstwhile unbeaten Elasto Painters all the way as they arrested a two-game losing skid and rose to an even 2-2.
Rodney Brondial topscored with 13 points, pouring 10 of those in the first half to carry Alaska to a commanding 41-23 lead at the break.
Fellow big man Abu Tratter, who pumped in a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, fueled the Aces' offense in the closing quarters wherein they grabbed their biggest buffer at 29 points.
Maverick Ahanmisi stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, six boards, four assists and two steals while Mike DiGregorio chipped in nine markers in the wire-to-wire win.
It was not just Alaska's offense that worked at full throttle as its defense held Rain or Shine to its lowest scoring output in franchise history with a franchise-low 20.9 field goal percentage--also the second-worst in PBA history.
The Elasto Painters' output was also the second lowest in league history next to Shell's 47 points in a loss to Mobiline back in 2000, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
"We're really happy that we're able to get the W. I think what allowed us to be successful today was how we approached losing the last games," said Alaska head coach Jeff Cariaso.
"Mentally, it's a challenge when you lose two in a row (especially) with the quick schedule that we have, you can't be too high, you can't be too low. I wanna commend the guys for not being too low even after losing two games and staying focused with video sessions and two days of practice," he added.
No RoS player scored in double figures as Adrian Wong had nine points followed by Norbert Torres with seven while Javee Mocon was held scoreless on a terrible 0-of-11 shooting clip.
The E-Painters suffered their first defeat after a three-win start, dropping to a tie at No. 2 with San Miguel (3-1) and leaving Magnolia (3-0) alone at the top.
The scores:
ALASKA 74 – Brondial 13, Tratter 12, Ahanmisi 10, DiGregorio 9, Teng 6, Casio 5, Banal 5, Taha 4, Marcelino 3, Adamos 3, Ebona 2, Stockton 2, Herndon 0, Publico 0
RAIN OR SHINE 48 – Wong 9, Torres 7, Caracut 6, Ponferada 6, Nambatac 5, Belga 5, , Norwood 4, Borboran 3, Guinto 2, Santillan 1, Rivero 0, Mocon 0
Quarters: 19-12, 41-23, 61-39, 74-48