Hobbled by injuries to key players, Alaska lost three straight games in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup. What made this slump more alarming was the Aces dropped their last three games against Magnolia, NLEX, and TNT by an average margin of 17 points.
Facing the specter of elimination, the Aces needed to get their act together in the last three games. They first had to go through Meralco, a team which was also desperate to chalk up a victory to pump life into its playoff bid.
This time, though, the Aces finally found themselves on the winning side as they drubbed the Bolts, 92-77 on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Aces shifted into high gear in the third period, sputtered in between, before zooming to their fourth victory in nine games and improving their chances to nab a playoff berth.
"Honestly if we lost, we're bound for Boracay," said Alaska coach Alex Compton in jest. "I'm just really happy to get the win. It's really big for our chances (to make the playoffs)."
Much can be attributed to Alaska getting most of its injured players back. JVee Casio and Kevin Racal returned to the fold for the first time this conference. Only main man Vic Manuel is nursing an injury.
In his first game back, JCasio already provided the boost for the Aces with 12 points in close to 17 minutes of action off the bench. He buried a three-pointer in the third period that gave the team a 14-point buffer which the Aces maintained until the final buzzer.
Racal, meanwhile, chipped in nine points including a corner three-pointer with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter to fend off the Bolts.
Also coming in recently from injuries were Simon Enciso and Chris Banchero, who are starting to regain their form. Enciso shot four three-pointers on his way to 14 points, while Banchero had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Their stellar performances didn't go unnoticed.
"A bunch of guys came in. It's nice to have Jvee and Kevin back. I though Jvee and K-racs made some plays in a way that they usually do," said Compton, whose rotation suffered in the previous games minus five key players.
While Alaska kept its playoff hopes alive, Meralco's were dimmed as the Bolts fell to a 3-7 win-loss record.
Meralco is now mired in 10th spot, and it looks like things are not going to go well for the Bolts as they will face in-form Ginebra to close out their elimination round campaign. The Gin Kings are coming off a pulsating overtime victory against rival Magnolia.
Nico Salva, who engaged sophomore Jeron Teng in a brief shootout in the fourth period, led Meralco with 23 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. KG Canaleta added 18 points built on three triples.
THE SCORES
Alaska 92 - Teng 16, Enciso 14, Banchero 13, Thoss 13, Casio 12, Racal 9, Cruz 7, Pascual 6, Baclao 2, Exciminiano 0, Ayaay 0.
Meralco 77 - Salva 23, Canaleta 18, Newsome 11, Amer 8, Quinto 5, Tolomia 4, Hodge 3, Hugnatan 2, Pinto 2, Jackson 1, Caram 0, Faundo 0.
Quarterscores: 20-16, 45-38, 69-57, 92-77.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
-Alaska was averaging 17.9 assists before this game. They only had 15 assists this game but made up for that by dominating the paint, 34-26. They also scored 16 points off second chance points.
-Meralco's bench was actually productive. The Bolts outscored Alaska in that department, 55-29 thanks in large part to Salva and Canaleta, who combined for 41 points.
NEXT GAMES
Alaska - vs San Miguel on March 24 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Meralco - vs Ginebra on March 27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum