THE rampage continued for Alaska as it cruised its way to its second straight win, routing Blackwater, 109-95, to gain a share of the early lead in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Once again strutting his wares, Cory Jefferson paced the Aces with another solid double-double production of 28 points and 15 rebounds, totally outplaying his counterpart Greg Smith.
He got assistance from rookie Carl Cruz and Ping Exciminiano as the two came off the bench to provide a lot of spark for Alaska, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Alaska is now in a three-way tie for first place with Rain or Shine and Meralco on similar 2-0 cards.
On the other hand, Blackwater is likewise in a three-way logjam on the other side at the bottom, with fellow winless teams Mahindra and NLEX as they are all at 0-2.
Just like in its opening game, Alaska came out of the gates blazing again, zooming to a 12-3 start to give itself an early leverage.
While Blackwater inched closer towards the end of the opening period, the Aces kept coming and eventually took control in the second quarter, methodically working their way to a 52-43 advantage at the half.
The Aces maintained their momentum and extended their lead to double-digits, 80-68, heading into the final 12 minutes of action.
The Elite tried its best to rally several times in the fourth, but the experienced Aces shut down every one of its attempt to sail to victory.
Alaska never trailed from start to finish.
Smith led Blackwater with 14 points and 16 rebounds but his efforts weren’t enough for his squad.
Phoenix is currently attempting to make it a four-way logjam up top as it also goes for a second win against debuting Star as of press time.
The scores:
ALASKA 109—Jefferson 28, Cruz 15, Exciminiano 13, Racal 12, Thoss 10, Abueva 9, Galliguez 7, Pascual 5, Banchero 4, Mendoza 4, Enciso 2.
BLACKWATER 95—Cervantes 21, Smith 14, Sumang 13, Buenafe 11, Belo 9, Digregorio 8, Ababou 4, Sena 4, Pascual 4, Aguilar 3, Gamalinda 2, Miranda 2, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 27-23, 52-43, 80-68, 109-95