PBA: Walker scores 27 as Aces down Beermen

The Alaska Aces were not able to defend the Commissioner’s Cup trophy they won in 2013. They showed they wanted to win a new title in the opening of the 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup with a 94-87 victory over the San Miguel Beermen, Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Both Alaska and San Miguel Beer wanted to bury the memories of the recently concluded conference. They finished second and third after the eliminations but were both upset by lower ranked teams with the Aces bowing to the San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Beermen being shocked by the seventh-seeded Air21 Express.

The second game of the conference was tight until the closing minutes, but the Aces took control with key baskets and hustle plays from Calvin Abueva.

Alaska import Henry Walker was named the Best Player of the Game with 27 points. The NBA veteran showed that he was more than just as scorer as he added 13 rebounds and nine assists.

The Beermen, on the other hand, were led by their import Reggie Williams who scored 42 points. Also an NBA veteran, Williams missed on two important free throws late to allow the Aces to grab complete control of ball game.

Even if Walker was the best player, Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo raved about the performance of Sonny Thoss.

“Sonny Thoss played his heart out,” said Trillo after the game. “It was a very tough matchup for him but he had steady inside presence.”

The Alaska big man scored 18 points and added nine rebounds, four assists, and a steal in the game while limiting June Mar Fajardo to 13 points, although he did grab 16 rebounds.

Williams carried the fight for the Beermen as he scored 42 points. He shot an amazing 7-of-12 from three and 7-of-11 from two, but aside from Fajardo, the import did not get enough help elsewhere.

Reigning PBA Most Valuable Player Arwind Santos only scored three points, going 1-of-8 from the field. Chris Ross, the revelation of the Commissioner’s Cup for the Beermen, was relegated to the bench in favor of his buddy Sol Mercado. Ross was not able to score in the game while Mercado chipped in only five points.



Walker went to work early on by scoring five of Alaska’s first seven points to grab a 7-5 lead in the game. Walker buried a triple to extend their lead to six at 18-12, but Ronald Tubid quickly rattled in a trey of his own to cut Alaska’s lead back down to three.

Thoss nailed a baseline jumper for Alaska but Williams made a three to end the first quarter with the Beermen only trailing by two points at 20-18.

“It’s very hard when playing SMB,” admitted Trillo after the game. “They led the league in second-chance points, fast break points, and turnover points. Last conference, we were last in the league in making total points. It’s nice to see them score 94 and holding San Miguel to 87.”

The second quarter saw a see-saw battle between the two teams still led by their prolific imports, but the Aces still managed to hold on to a slim 43-40 lead at the half.

The Aces tried to pull away early in the third quarter. Two free throws from Walker at the 7:23 mark were followed by a basket from Thoss for a 57-50 Alaska lead. This advantage did not last long for Alaska, as the Beermen wrested the lead from their hands after back-to-back triples from Williams gave San Miguel a 70-67 lead with 1:21 remaining in the third period.

Alaska bruiser Gabby Espinas scored underneath the basket to cut their deficit to a single point, 70-69, heading into the final quarter.

Aside from Walker and Thoss, Alaska also got big games from the power duo of Abueva and Espinas. The two combined for 22 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists.

The ball game was tied at 87-all with less than three minutes left in the game. Both teams went to their big men at the post, but June Mar Fajardo failed to score while Sonny Thoss scored on a basket and was fouled to give the Aces an 89-87 lead.

Thoss missed the bonus free throw but Calvin Abueva kept the ball alive. Abueva then missed on a point blank shot but he got another offensive rebound. Cyrus Baguio was fouled later in the possession but he only managed a split from the line. With the Beermen coming up empty, Abueva made them pay again with a mid-range jumper to give Alaska a 92-87 lead.

Williams then missed two free throw for San Miguel Beer while JVee Casio made two for Alaska to give the Aces a wide 94-87 lead with only 25.9 seconds left in the game. - RAF, GMA News


The scores:

ALASKA 94 - Walker 27, Thoss 18, Abueva 12, Espinas 10, Baguio 7, Casio 6, Jazul 6, Hontiveros 6, Manuel 2.

SAN MIGUEL BEER 87 - Williams 42, Fajardo 13, Lassiter 8, Maierhofer 6, Tubid 6, Mercado 5, Santos 3, Lutz 2, Chua 2, Lanete 0, Kramer 0, Ross 0.

Quarterscores: 20-18, 43-40, 69-70, 94-87