Slashers: Not in our house

BACOLOD City – With John Ferriols and the rest of Negros starters struggling, Dino Aldeguer and Reynel Hugnatan stepped up to power the Slashers past the LBC Batangas Blades, 80-71, last night and keep their hopes alive in the MBA Finals at the University of St. La Salle Gym here.

Coming off the bench, Aldeguer sparked an eight-point windup that pushed the Slashers ahead in the third quarter and then carried over his heroics in the fourth as the Slashers cut down the Blades lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five series.

But it was the hardworking Hugnatan who stood out in the game as he sustained a game-long brilliance to finish with game-high 20 points and 20 rebounds to share best player honors with Aldeguer.

The Slashers try to level the series in Game Four also slated at the USLS Gym on Wednesday. A victory by the Slashers would send the Finals back to Lipa City for the deciding Game Five on Friday.Reliving his heroics as a La Salle Green Archer in the 1999 UAAP Finals, Aldeguer pumped in 13 points in the fourth quarter which saw the Slashers wrest control after engaging the Blades in a tight, pulsating contest.

Also picking up the slack from Ferriols and company were Jomar Tierra and Patrick Benedicto, who chipped in eight points apiece.

The Blades led up to the late part of the third quarter, 51-45, before Aldeguer and Hugnatan combined in that eight-point binge that gave the momentum to the Slashers.

Aldequer, scoreless in the first half, canned a triple to give Negros its biggest lead at 73-61, only three minutes left, and finish with 15 points, two steals and two assists in a 22-minute stint.

But as the packed crowd was ready to leave, Alex Compton made them wait up the final buzzer with back-to-back triples, with still 1 minute and 59 seconds to go.

Ferriols then sealed the outcome with a hooked shot in the next play.

"This is a big game for us. Hindi kami patatalo dito sa bahay naming (We will not be beaten in our house), " said Negros coach Robert Sison, adding that they would work doubly hard in Game Four to level the series. Sison credited his wards for giving their best, but he cited Aldeguer and Hugnatan for their exemplary performances.

The Slashers survived the absence of power leaper Leo Bat-og, who was out with a knee injury.