Highway meltdown: Alaska pulls of come-from-behind win over NLEX

NLEX failed to put a bitter lesson into good use and as they lost their second straight game after leading with minutes left in the game this time at the hands of Alaska.

The Aces pounced on the Road Warriors’ inability to close out a deal, enabling them to escape with a 90-84 victory on Friday night and boost their drive for an immediate goal in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Down by as many as 15 points in the third canto and still behind at 76-82 going to the final two minutes, Alaska showed its uncanny poise anew to the hilt behind veterans Dondon Hontiveros, JVee Casio, Sonny Thoss and Calvin Abueva while forcing NLEX to commit a spate of costly turnovers to come out on top of a thrilling finish.

The 6-foot 2 Hontiveros sizzled with a team-high 21 points, highlighted by a clutch four-point play that ignited their decisive 14-2 closeout, while four other teammates, including Abueva who also had a game-best 19 rebounds, had at least 11 markers as Alaska won its second straight game and eighth overall in nine starts to momentarily regain the solo lead from San Miguel Beer (7-1), which is battling Meralco (4-4) as of posting time, and boost its bid of snatching an outright semifinals berth.

Aside from their timely offensive explosion, it was their rejuvenated defense that spelled the difference for the Aces, who made life miserable for the Road Warriors, forcing them to turn the ball over three times while translating every defensive stop into a needed basket.

Mark Borboran led all scorers with 22 points, 15 of them coming from beyond the arc, while guard Mac Cardona tallied a double-double outing of 14 markers and as many rebounds but NLEX absorbed yet another heartbreaker following an equally painful 93-95 setback dealt by Rain or Shine last Tuesday, causing it to drop its fifth game in its last six for a 3-6 mark.

Had the Road Warriors learned their lesson against the Painters, they could have been in a better situation.
Despite trailing by as many as 12 points twice in the opening canto, NLEX took control in the second canto behind Borboran and even built a lead as high of 15 at 56-41 following a 14-1 start after the break, even sensing a big upset was in the offing.

But the Aces clawed back behind their pressure defense with a 14-2 counterattack and even took a 65-64 lead off a Hontiveros split free throw with less than nine minuets to play.

NLEX, however, came back to life behind Cardona and Borboran to regain control and retake a six-point lead going to the critical juncture.

Unfortunately for NLEX, its inability to unleash a knockout blow hurt its chances big time, allowing Alaska to get back on its feet and turn the tables around behind its rejuvenated defense, none bigger than forcing Borboran to make a huge passing error off an inbound play with less than 16 seconds to go.

The Main Man: Dondon Hontiveros had a brilliant offensive outing of 21 points, including five triples, the last even with a foul to boot for a rare four-point play that ignited their strong 14-2 windup.

Honorable Mentions: Also shining for the Aces were veterans JVee Casio, Sonny Thoss and Calvin Abueva.

Game Turning Point: Down by just six going to the last two minutes, the Aces showed their poise to the hilt, with their battle-scarred veterans taking turns in scoring all but two of the last 16 points in a thrilling finish.

He Said It:

Alaska coach Alex Compton: Coming into this game, our scouting report showed that they are the highest field goal shooting team. We knew that it's a big defensive challenge for us. Ang dami namin iniisip cyan. In some ways, parang similar ito sa GlobalPort na sa huli nanalo kami sa depensa. We just needed to make good decisions and make stops try to get back in the game. It means that we're playing as a team particularly defensively. Hindi pa ganoon kaganda opensa namin. It's been our defense and that's the character for our guys. NLEXcan really score but we held them at 39 percent shooting.

Stat of the Game: The Road Warriors had as many turnovers as the Aces with 15, but three of them came in the final 120 seconds, underscoring their poor execution to close out a big game anew.

Next Games:
NLEX against Barako Bull on Dec. 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena
Alaska against Barangay Ginebra on Dec. 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena

The scores:

Alaska 90 -- Hontiveros 21, Abueva 16, Baguio 11, Thoss 11, Casio 11, Manuel 8, Jazul 7, Banchero 3, Eximiniano 2, Eman 0, Dela Rosa 0, Menk 0, Dela Cruz 0.

NLEX 84 -- Borboran 22, Cardona 14, J. Villanueva 13, Taulava 10, R. Villanueva 9, W. Arboleda 6, Ramos 4, Canaleta 2, Camson 2, H. Arboleda 2, Apinan 0, Raymundo 0.

Quarter scores: 23-15; 40-42; 55-58; 90-84.