PBA: Petron outlasts Alaska in shootout, claims 7th straight win

The Petron Blaze Boosters extended their winning streak to seven games, locking up the top spot in the standings in the process, after defeating the Alaska Aces, 103-100, on Friday at the Philsports Arena, in the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup.

With a 7-1 card and a game left, the Blaze Boosters are assured of the number one seed. Last conference's champs Alaska had to settle for a 3-4 record.

"Our mindset is we want to play no matter what the situation is," said Petron head coach Gee Abanilla. "We want to build some character for our team. People are expecting us to win every time, but Alaska is a tough team. They gave us a tough time."

Down three with six seconds left, Calvin Abueva intentionally missed his second free throw to go give Dondon Hontiveros a chance to send the game to overtime. The attempt fell short, as Petron claimed the victory.

"Dondon almost made that shot. Siguro sinuwerte lang kami," added Abanilla. "We just want to improve every game. I think we need games like this. We are tested [with our] mental toughness. We don't want to be complacent."

With 2:40 remaining in the game, Lassiter split from the line as Jayvee Casio responded with a floater at the other end, 96-95. A June Mar Fajardo split gave Petron a two-point lead while Calvin Abueva committed a turnover at the other end. Elijah Millsap then makf Alaska pay with another drive for a four-point spread at the 1:42 mark, 99-95.

A Sonny Thoss jumper at the 1:26 mark halved Petron's lead, 99-97, as Marcio Lassiter missed a corner triple to give Alaska a chance to tie or take the lead. Thoss challenged June Mar Fajardo in the paint, but his layup bounced off the rim. A Lassiter side-step move gave Petron some breathing room, but Calvin Abueva responded with an and-one with 24.7 seconds to go for a one-point game, 101-100.

The Aces played the fouling game, as McKines sent Millsap to the line with 21.6 to go. Petron's import took care of both charities, giving the Boosters a three-point lead. The Aces tired to find an open look from beyond the arc, but Petron covered Jayvee Casio and Cyrus Baguio. McKines' try from deep fell short, only for Millsap to miss two more free throws that would have put the game away.

With 6.6 seconds remaining, Calvin Abueva trooped to the line, but he missed the first. He intentionally missed the second and got the offensive board, but Dondon Hontinveros missed the potential game-tying triple to give Petron the game.

Marcio Lassiter was the Best Player of the Game with 19 points and five rebounds.

A hot start by Alaska put Petron in a 17-9 hole in the first, before Elijah Milsap and Marcio Lassiter connected from deep, 22-15. A Doug Kramer put-back inched Petron closer, but five straight from Wendell McKines bumped Alaska's lead to 10, 27-17.

Twin treys from Lanete, along with a Millsap slam got the Boosters to within two, 27-25, before Lanete hit another long bomb to push Petron ahead. A Chris Lutz slam on the break gave the Blaze Boosters a 30-27 lead after one.

Sonny Thoss found his way in the paint, while Tony Dela Cruz connected with a jumper to put Alaska ahead, 35-34. The back-and-forth continued, until Arwind Santos strung four together for a three-point Petron lead midway through the second, 40-37.

Jumpers from Santos and Millsap stretched their lead to eight, 46-38, before free throws from Thoss, followed by a trey from Jayvee Casio cut their deficit to three, 46-43. The Blaze Boosters continued to keep the lead after two periods though, as free throws and a trey from Millsap had Petron ahead 51-45 at the half.

A Casio trey with less than nine minutes left in the third cut the Petron lead to two, before Calvin Abueva tied the game a 56-all. A McKines and-one gave Alaska a taste of the lead, but Lutz and Ronald Tubid put Petron back in the driver's seat, 61-59.

Lanete's sweet-shooting kept Petron ahead, 66-63, before McKiness and Abueva strung five together for a 68-66 Alaska advantage. From there, Petron ended finishing stronger, as Millsap, Lutz, and Lanete found their mark for a 79-74 lead heading into the payoff period.

Seven points from Lassiter opened up an 86-76 lead for Petron in the fourth. Five from Baguio, followed by three free throws from Casio made it a three-point affair with seven minutes left in the game, 88-85. McKines finally knotted the game anew, as he hit a three forcing Petron to call a timeout. After the break, Petron had Arwind Santos connecting for a 90-88 advantage.

An Abueva undergoal stab tied the game at 91-all, but a Millsap drive had Petron claiming the lead yet again. Another layup from Millsap bumped up the lead to four, only for Casio found Thoss for a baseline jumper at the other end, 95-93.

Millsap led Petron with 35 points, but the import got a lot of help from his locals. Aside from Lassiter's 19, Chico Lanete poured in 16 points while Arwind Santos had 10.

Wendell McKines had 33 for the Aces, who absorbed their second straight defeat. Sonny Thoss and Calvin Abueva had 17 and 16, respectively, while Jayvee Casio and Cyrus Baguio combined for 23. - AMD, GMA News