MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk barely recovered from the trauma of an overtime loss the last time out as it struggled to repulse Powerade, 78-70, in the PBA Governors Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
The Aces, frustrated by Petron Blaze, 81-82, in extra time last Sunday, stayed in the game behind their defense early on before hitting their stride offensively as they bounced back from the Petron setback and regained a .500 mark with three wins against three losses.
Jason Forte and his teammates held down Chris Porter to measly 13 points and nine rebounds as the Aces handed the Tigers their fourth defeat against two wins. Porter had averaged 24 points and 15.8 rebounds before ramming into the Alaska defense.
“We didn’t play a confident game and it’s a reflection of our loss to Petron. It’s a tough loss and we had a tough time putting it behind us. We saved this game through defense,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.
The Aces engaged the Tigers in a fierce battle early on before establishing some rhythm to open double-digit spreads in the second half.
LA Tenorio, who’s turning 27 today, fired 20 points, including two triples, holding off the Tigers rally down the stretch.
“We got a crucial win and it’s a good birthday gift for me,” said Tenorio who also finished with six rebounds and the same number of assists.
Forte and Sonny Thoss contributed double-double numbers for the Aces in the lowest-scoring game in the conference.
Forte fired 16 points and 12 rebounds while Thoss had 14 points and 11 rebounds as they outworked their Powerade counterparts.
The two teams fought through five deadlocks and 14 lead changes in the first half.
Key runs to close both the first and second quarters enabled the Aces to take the half at 40-37.
The Aces scored seven of the last nine points in the second quarters and sustained the momentum to build a 60-48 cushion after the third canto.
Down by 16 at 53-69, the Tigers went to Gary David and Celino Cruz as they charged to within eight, 61-69.
Then came Tenorio’s backbreaking back-to-back treys.
Barangay Ginebra bucked playing without import Curtis Stinson and key guard Willie Miller, nipping Air21, 89-87, to regain a share of third place with a 3-2 card in the nightcap.
The Kings will still be without an import versus the B-Meg Llamados tomorrow. But they hope to have a new one as they take on the Alaska Aces next Saturday.