By Ivan Saldajeno
Alaska, despite struggling in offense, looked on its to beat Blackwater, 69-56, in a top-versus-bottom battle of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
After a low-scoring first quarter where the Aces led, 15-9, they looked to pull away after increasing their lead to 17, 38-21, in the third quarter.
The Elite, however, crawled back and came to within five, 44-49, early in the fourth quarter.
But Alaska held on after rebuilding the double-digit edge and never looked back.
Eric Menk led the Aces, who are now 6-0, with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Elite remained winless after six games.