Alaska aims to once again extend its swan song while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel hopes to hurdle another difficult task as it aims to complete the upset of their twice-to-beat opponents in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Saturday, March 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces fight for dear life against the NLEX Road Warriors in the 6:30 p.m. match while the Gin Kings take on the TNT Tropang Giga for a shot at getting back to the semis at 4 p.m.
Both teams forced today’s do-or-die matches after Alaska rallied from an early deficit to claim a 93-79 win and Ginebra overcame TNT’s second half rally for a 104-92 win.
Momentum may have likely shifted on Alaska and Ginebra as they come into the decider with a chance to send their higher seeded foes to an early summer vacation.
But the situation means more for Alaska, which would see its fabled tenure in the pro league come to an end with a loss.
Jeron Teng, Abu Tratter and Mike Tolomia stepped up for the Aces after trailing by 16 in the first quarter to put themselves on even terms with the Road Warriors.
Coach Jeffrey Cariaso is banking on new import Mark St. Fort to put up a better showing as Alaska shoots for its first semis since reaching the title series of the 2018 Governors’ Cup.
NLEX is pinning its hopes on new import Cam Clark, Kevin Alas, Don Trollano and JR Quinahan to atone for the team’s failure to end Alaska’s campaign.
Ginebra prepares for a big TNT response after a hard-fought win in their first meeting.
Import Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Christian Standhardinger are tasked to play big roles while Ginebra looks to make adjustments in its bid to stop TNT rookie Mikey Williams.
Williams will lead the Tropang Giga’s attempt to avoid the upset and continue their quest to sweep this season’s two conferences.
The winner of the last two quarters matches will face off in a best-of-five semifinals which opens next week.