Taulava wreaked havoc inside the paint while Cantrell did a tremendous job all over the court, leading the Phone Pals to the crucial win that firmed up their hold of second spot behind early semifinal qualifier, the Purefoods Chunkee Giants.
With an 8-6 win-loss record, the Phone Pals could join the Giants in early passage into the semis with a sweep of their last two games against the Barangay Ginebra Kings and the San Miguel Beermen.
Alaska suffered a sixth loss in its last seven games and is now in danger of figuring in the survivor playoff (the No. 8 team versus No. 9 team) after the double-round classification phase.
The Aces, now tied with the Coca-Cola Tigers and the Beermen at sixth place, must sweep their last two games also against the Beermen and the Kings to avoid that tough situation.
Cantrell erupted for 26 points and the same number of rebounds while Taulava exploded for 24 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Phone Pals who also drew double-digit output from Willie Miller with 14.