Aces deliver at crunch time

MALOLOS – Alaska Milk struggled three-fourth of the way but hit its stride in the final quarter as it hammered out a 68-63 win over Barangay Ginebra in the Samsung PBA Governors Cup at the CEU Centrodome here last night.

Ron Riley, Muntrell Dobbins, Jojo Lastimosa and Rodney Santos delivered at crunch time and the Aces overcame a poor 28-percent shooting in the first half and an eight-point deficit at the outset of the fourth quarter in fashioning out the stirring come-from-behind victory.

Shooting bricks in the early goings, the Aces trailed almost throughout but surged ahead at 62-58 on a vicious 16-4 run. They never yielded the lead from there.

Riley teamed up with Lastimosa, Dobbins and Santos in that attack before taking the spotlight at the finish by shooting the killer basket that gave Alaska a 66-63 lead with time down to 30 seconds.

Acting Ginebra coach Chris Calilan quickly sued for time but, at the resumption of play, the Kings wasted ball possession, committing a 24-second shotclock violation.

Santos buried two charities for the final count following a Ginebra desperation foul with only five seconds left in the clock.

Riley, one of eight comebacking imports in the tournament, marked his return stint with the Aces with a double-double job with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He also had four assists.

Santos, a proud son of Bulacan from the nearby Meycauayan town, added 12 points, including a booming triple that capped Alaska’s decisive 16-4 romp from 46-54 down.

John Arigo also had 12 points while Dobbins contributed 11.

Though playing minus Jun Limpot and Banjo Calpito, the Kings dominated the game early on with Vergel Meneses, playing before his adoring townmates, leading the Ginebra charge.

The high-leaping Meneses scored on a twisting layup, touching off a 9-2 binge that had the Kings taking a 46-39 lead midway through the third quarter.

Ginebra kept a seven-point spread, 52-45, at the close of the third period on back-to-back baskets by Bubba Wells and Mark Caguioa.

After Miguel Noble split from the stripe, Meneses hit his last basket in the night and the Kings posted their biggest lead at 54-46.

Then, the Aces stole the show.

Jerrod Gee huffed and puffed on the way to scoring only five points. Wells scored 17 points, leading the Kings who drew 11 points apiece from Meneses and Caguioa.

Wells, Meneses and Caguioa scored seven each in the first half where they hit 37 percent from the floor, compared to the Aces’ 28-percent clip.