CEBU, Philippines - Cyrus Baguio churned out 25 points and LA Tenorio scored 20 including a pair of bigtime 3-point shots in Alaska Aces' 109-102 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Commissioner's Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Baguio also dished out seven assists as he and Tenorio made crucial hits at the endgame to help the Aces bounce back from a humiliating 78-98 defeat to Barako Bull Energy last Friday.
"Maganda na ang kombinasyon namin ngayon. Nakuha na seguro ni coach (Joel Banal). Magulo kasi kami nung first game. Sana tuloy-tuloy na 'to," said Baguio, who shot 9-of-18 from the field.
Mexican import Adam Parada finished with 24 points, 18 of which in the first half where the Aces mounted as much as 13 points lead, 43-30. It was sliced to only six though at halftime, 55-49.
Tenorio also made a huge impact as he played fireman's role at the height of Rain or Shine's sizzling rally sparked by Duke Crews.
After the Elasto Painters tied the count at 93-all on Gabe Norwood's tip-in off a missed attempt by Ronjay Enrile, Tenorio buried a triple to put Alaska on top again, 96-93, with still 4:36 left to play.
Crews responded with four straight points to push Rain or Shine in front, 97-96, for the first trime since they scored the first two points of the match, but Baguio and Tenorio buried two consecutive shots from beyond the arc to give the Aces a 102-97 breather at the final 2:25 mark of the contest.
The Elasto Painters could have gotten closer, but Crews just went 1-of-4 four from the line that further spelled their doom. Tenorio then made a living from the foul line to bail Alaska out of danger.
Crews topped the Elasto Painters with 34 points but after going 11-of-13 from the stripe, he only converted three of his next 10 attempts. - THE FREEMAN