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| PBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
QUEZON CITY--Alaska squandered a 13-point lead but still managed to hack out an 85-81 win against Talk 'n Text in Game 2 of their PBA Commissioner's Cup quarterfinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday night.
The Aces appeared to be pulling away after starting the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 51-38 cushion.
But the Tropa slowly crawled back and even took the lead which they cared for most of the fourth quarter.
Alaska then scored five straight points to reclaim the lead, 82-79, with 2:02 left in the game.
TNT kept the game interesting after David Simon scored on a long two with 53.1 seconds left that cut the lead to just one, but his team failed to retake the advantage after Ranidel De Ocampo and Troy Rosario missed crucial triples within the last 30 seconds of the game.
Rob Dozier had 18 points, ten rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal for the Aces, whose win tied the best-of-three series at 1-1, forcing the decider on Friday night.
Simon finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, and one steal, while Jayson Castro tallied 17 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and one steal off the bench for the Tropa.
Rosario, who exploded for 31 markers in the series-opening victory for them on Sunday, was limited to only eight, missing all of his four triple tries after making seven the other day.
Box Scores:
Alaska 85-Dozier 18, Thoss 15, Abueva 15, Jazul 10, Dela Cruz 9, Baguio 7, Manuel 4, Hontiveros 3, Banchero 2, Exciminiano 2, Baclao 0, Menk 0
Talk 'n Text 81-Simon 31, Castro 17, De Ocampo 15, Rosario 8, Tautuaa 7, Ababou 3, Fonacier 0, Rosser 0, R. Reyes 0, J. Reyes 0, Williams 0
Quarterscores: 20-16, 40-38, 67-63, 85-81
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Talk 'n Text 81-Simon 31, Castro 17, De Ocampo 15, Rosario 8, Tautuaa 7, Ababou 3, Fonacier 0, Rosser 0, R. Reyes 0, J. Reyes 0, Williams 0
Quarterscores: 20-16, 40-38, 67-63, 85-81
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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