The Blackwater Elite came up with big plays down the stretch to turn back the Alaska Aces, 112-104, and clinch the third seed heading into the quarterfinals of the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After finishing dead last in the previous conference with only two wins, Blackwater joined the upper tier of the standings this time with a 7-4 record.
Ray Parks topped anew with 25 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Roi Sumang, who took over for the Elite in the fourth quarter, contributed 18 points and five assists.
"The players were challenged to get this win for the franchise," said Blackwater coach Aris Dimaunahan. "We challenged the guys to keep the third seed coming to the playoffs so we have confidence whoever we face."
The two teams went toe-to-toe all throughout, which resulted in 22 lead changes and 13 deadlocks.
Sumang took matters into his own hands in the crucial juncture of the contest. He assisted on Mac Belo's back-to-back layups before knocking down a 3 that made it a two-possession ballgame in the Elite's favor.
Alaska pulled closer but Rabeh Al-Hussaini hit a clutch 3-point shot for a 109-104 edge with one and a half minutes left. Sumang sealed the deal for Blackwater with a layup and a free throw.
Diamon Simpson paced the Aces with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in the loss.
Alaska closed out the elimination round with five straight losses for a 4-7 card. The Aces' playoffs chances are hanging in the balance as they need to face either Phoenix (4-7) or Meralco (3-7) in a knockout battle for the eighth spot.
"Apparently, we still have a sliver of a thread of hope and we're gonna fight for that and as long as there's life left, we're gonna honor the game," Aces coach Alex Compton said after the game.
"So it might be a small chance, it might not be a big chance, but you got a chance. You gotta leave it out there, leave it all out there."
THE SCORES
Blackwater 112 - Parks 25, Sumang 18, Maliksi 15, Blair 14, Belo 13, Al-Hussaini 12, Digregorio 6, Desiderio 4, Cortez 3, Sena 2, Alolino 0.
Alaska 104 - Simpson 24, Banchero 18, Thoss 15, Manuel 15, Teng 11, Enciso 9, Casio 6, Racal 4, Pascual 2, Exciminiano 0, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 27-32, 56-55, 80-78, 112-104.
EXTRA DRIBBLES
- Blackwater's third-place finish is an all-time best for the franchise, next to a fifth-place finish in the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup.
- Alaska will play in a knockout game for the last quarterfinals slot for the second straight conference. Just three months ago in the Philippine Cup, Alaska had to beat NLEX in a do-or-die in order to face the Fuel Masters, who later dispatched them in one game.
- Meralco needs to win against San Miguel on Wednesday for a right to face the Aces for the eighth spot. Otherwise, the knockout game will be between Phoenix and Alaska.
ESPN5's Eros Villanueva contributed to this report.