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Ginebra import lays an egg as Kings fall to surging Alaska Aces

Defending champion Alaska utilized one potent weapon to send Barangay Ginebra crashing back to earth anew: Unforgiving defense.

The Aces made life miserable for the Gin Kings throughout, turning their PBA Commissioners Cup finals rematch into a mismatch with an impressive 83-73 victory Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Proving they indeed regained their championship form, the Aces buckled down defensively from the get-go and held the Gin Kings to repeated long scoring droughts to carve out their fourth straight win and fifth overall against three setbacks, moving up to solo third while keeping themselves in the hunt for the remaining twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

Reigning Best Import awardee Rob Dozier served as the anchor anew with another double-double outing of 22 points and 16 rebounds while his local Alaska teammates, led by guards JVee Casio, made ample contributions to help stymie the lackluster Ginebra crew.

With import Joshua Powell laying a big fat egg in the first 24 minutes before sitting out the entire second half with a reported right foot problem, towering rookie Greg Slaughter carried most of the fight with 20 points and 13 rebounds but sorely misses the usual numbers from top guns LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Mark Caguioa, causing Ginebra to drop to the eight spot with a 3-5 mark.

Despite the absence of Powell, the Gin Kings showed some signs of life behind the exploits of the 6-foot-11 Slaughter as they trimmed what once an 18-point deficit to just 42-49 midway in the third canto.

But the Aces, with the 6-foot-8 Dozier doing what he does best, responded with a clinical 12-2 run to regain full control going to the final canto.

Mac Baracael tried hard to keep the Gin Kings in the thick of the fight as he banged in eight of the team’s first 10 points, including a pair of triples, but the Aces had plenty of gas left to quell of that threatening uprising.

More than their solid 48.5 percent (32-of-66) shooting from the field, the Aces’ willingness to play lockdown defense proved to be the telling factor as they held their foes down to just 34.2 (27-of-79) clip, typified by Tenorio’s 3-of-13 shooting and Powell’s 0-of-5.
 
The Main Man: Alaska import Rob Dozier certainly had a field day in the lane in the absence of Ginebra counterpart Josh Powell as he finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds–both game-highs–on top of two blocks and as many steals.
 
Honorable Mentions: Giving Dozier the needed support were locals JVee Casio, Dondon Hontiveros, Gabby Espinas and center Sonny Thoss.
 
Game Turning Point: After Ginebra pulled within seven midway in the third canto, Alaska immediately restored order as import Rob Dozier and back-up guard RJ Jazul teamed up in the telling 12-2 run to stretch their lead back to 61-44 going to the last 12 minutes.
 
He Said It:
Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo: “We did a good job in the first half. We set the tone in the first half and got a big lead.”

The scores:

ALASKA 83 - Dozier 22, Casio 13, Hontiveros 10, Espinas 8, Manuel 8, Baguio 8, Jazul 6, Thoss 4, Reyes 2, Abueva 2, Dela Cruz 0, Buenafe 0.

GINEBRA 73 - Slaughter 20, Aguilar 12, Tenorio 11, Baracael 8, Ellis 6, Caguioa 6, Urbiztondo 5, Reyes 3, Helterbrand 2, Powell 0, Ababou 0.

Quarters: 19-11, 40-24, 61-44, 83-73