Alaska draws first blood as San Miguel loses steam late without Fajardo

Photo by KC Cruz

Yancy De Ocampo put up 18 points in place of injured June Mar Fajardo, but it was not enough as the Alaska Aces escaped with a 100-91 victory on Sunday to take Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals series.

The Beermen were ahread by 12 heading into the final frame, but the Aces uncorked a 34-16 blast to earn the victory.

Alaska enjoyed the production of its bench, with Vic Manuel leading the way with 24 points. Cyrus Baguio and Chris Banchero had 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Calvin Abueva added 12 points and 13 rebounds to round up the bench players in double figures.

An Alex Cabagnot trey tied the game with 1:57 left, 91-all, before Vic Manuel and Jayvee Casio strung five straight to give Alaska a five-point edge heading into the final 72 seconds.

Off a timeout, San Miguel went to Cabagnot who missed a triple. Calvin Abueva secured the rebound with 59 seconds left as Alaska head coach Alex Compton called for time. In the ensuing play, Cyrus Baguio went for the dagger and missed, but Chris Banchero was there for the offensive board and putback to put the game away.

The rest of San Miguel's starters came up big, with Alex Cabagnot leading the pack with 20 points. Marcio Lassiter chipped in 19, while Ronald Tubid had 13.

Arwind Santos struggled with just four points, hitting just two of his 11 attempts. Gabby Espinas, meanwhile, chipped in 11 points and eight boards off the bench. - APG, GMA News