Aces clobber Bolts

CEBU, Philippines - Alaska Milk, clearly in its most competitive form since its 2013 Commissioner’s Cup title run, stretched its unbeaten streak with yet another overpowering performance, blasting erstwhile co-leader Meralco, 105-64, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Aces shot 62 percent (31-of-50) from the two-point zone and 48 percent (10-21) from the three-point land, and held the Bolts to a woeful 23-of-71 clip in pulling off the franchise’s most lopsided victory in 14 long years.

Alaska improved to 3-0 while Meralco dropped to 2-1.

Curiously, the Aces won their first three games in PBA Season 40 by 63 points – 61 against former coaches Tim Cone and Luigi Trillo with their new teams.

“Absolutely not,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton in answer to query if they had their former coaches in mind in hammering out the rout.

“Our guys just played fantastic and Meralco had an off night. And it happens. I was on the losing end (of that kind of game before),” said Compton, recalling their 51-point blowout by Rain or Shine last conference.

“We played hard and we shot the ball pretty well. Up to the end, our shots were falling,” Compton added.

The Alaska reserves delivered the job, walloping their Meralco counterparts, 78-31.

Vic Manuel, Dondon Hontiveros and Chris Banchero all put in double-digit outputs off the bench as Alaska scored its biggest win since a 48-point massacre of Tanduay in a battle for third place in the 2000 Commissioner’s Cup.

The 41-point defeat, meanwhile, went down as the second worst for Meralco in franchise history or the worst since a 95-139 demolition by Rain or Shine in the 2012 Philippine Cup.

The Aces scored all the games’ first seven points, took the first quarter at 25-15, then the half at 54-37 and never let up till the very end.

They showed no mercy, still pressing full court even with a 40-point bulge with a minute left to play.

“I would not want to play them next,” said Compton. “With the character that they have, they will bounce back strong. That’s my heartfelt belief.”

Applying the same kind of defense (unrelenting full-court) they did against Purefoods, the Aces battered the Bolts in each quarter.

Forcing Meralco to commit 18 errors, the Aces scored 23 points off those Meralco bloopers as against the Bolts’ six.— Philippine STAR News Service