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| PBA |
By Ivan Saldajeno
QUEZON CITY--When Playing Coach Manny Pacquiao summoned himself in during Mahindra's PBA Governors' Cup game against Alaska on Wednesday night, Calvin Abueva quickly scored two triples against him. "The Beast" simply gave a smile to "Pacman" after the treys.
Pacquiao still walked away with the last laugh.
The Enforcers came back from 16 points down to upset the Aces, 101-95, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Abueva's back-to-back triples actually sparked Alaska's pull-away threat as the team opened 16-point cushions in the second quarter, the last at 50-34 late in the period, and would protect the double-digit advantage for most of the third frame.
Mahindra, however, slowly crawled back in the payoff period and came to within two, 75-77, with 8:38 left.
The Aces appeared to have restored control as they slightly stretched their lead to as high as six and held a 93-88 edge with 2:58 to go.
But five straight points from James White forced a 93-all deadlock with 2:17 remaining.
Sonny Thoss scored a mid-range jumper from top of the key to give Alaska its last taste of the lead at 95-93.
But a layup from Keith Agovida sparked the game-deciding 8-0 run by Mahindra to steal the win.
White led the Enforcers, who successfully stretched their franchise-best start to 4-0, with 32 points, two assists, and one block.
Pacquiao ended up scoreless in three minutes in his first game after missing the entire Commissioner's Cup due to his boxing and election commitments.
LaDontae Henton fired a game-high 33 markers with 14 rebounds, one assist, and three blocks for Alaska, which slipped to 1-3.
Abueva actually impressed in his first game back from a suspension with 21 points on 6-of-8 field goals and a perfect 7-of-7 charities with two rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and three steals.
Box Scores:
Mahindra 101-White 32, Ramos 14, Canaleta 13, Agovida 11, Zandi 9, Digregorio 7, Taha 5, Elorde 4, Bagatsing 3, Aguilar 2, Yee 1, Ballesteros 0, Guinto 0, Pacquiao 0, Pinto 0, Jaime 0
Alaska 95-Henton 33, Abueva 21, Banchero 8, Exciminiano 8, Jazul 6, Thoss 6, Dela Cruz 4, Menk 3, Casio 2, Dela Rosa 2, Hontiveros 2, Baclao 0, Magat 0, Manuel 0, Racal 0
Quarterscores: 23-31, 39-54, 65-74, 101-95
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Alaska 95-Henton 33, Abueva 21, Banchero 8, Exciminiano 8, Jazul 6, Thoss 6, Dela Cruz 4, Menk 3, Casio 2, Dela Rosa 2, Hontiveros 2, Baclao 0, Magat 0, Manuel 0, Racal 0
Quarterscores: 23-31, 39-54, 65-74, 101-95
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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