PBA: Alaska defeats Rain or Shine, sets up finals date with San Miguel

Dondon Hontiveros scored 17 points off the bench with five three pointers and six boards to lead the Alaska Aces to a 79-76 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With the win, the Aces now set up a finals date against the well-rested San Miguel Beermen. Calvin Abueva also added 15 points with nine boards for Alaska's second unit. The Aces' starting unit struggled, with only Sonny Thoss scoring in double figures with 11.

"Maganda nanalo kami sa defense, that's really character," said Alaska head coach Alex Compton. "I'm really just proud of these guys."

The Aces limited the Elasto Painters to just 20 percent from deep, hitting 7 of 34. Rain or Shine shot 31 percent overall, only knocking down 25 of 80 shots.

Jeff Chan led Rain or Shine with 14 points, but struggled from the field making just 3 of 12 tries. He added four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Raymond Almazan was the only other Elasto Painter who posted double figures with 11 points and eight boards. Jonathan Uyloan, Ryan Arana and Beau Belga had nine each. - Renee Fopalan, GMA News

The scores:

ALASKA 79 - Hontiveros 17, Abueva 15, Thoss 11, Baguio 6, Manuel 6, Menk 6, Jazul 5, Exciminiano 4, Dela Cruz 4, Casio 3, Banchero 2, Eman 0, Dela Rosa 0, Espinas 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 76 - Chan 14, Almazan 11, Uyloan 9, Arana 9, Belga 9, Lee 7, Ibanes 6, Norwood 4, Tang 4, Quinahan 3, Teng 0, Tiu 0, Cruz 0.

Quarterscores:  20-16, 36-28, 56-60, 79-76