Ramos powers Kia over Alaska

CEBU, Philippines – The Kia Carnival, behind a phenomenal 30-30 performance from its hulking import PJ Ramos, scored another big win over an established franchise as it frustrated Alaska for a 103-89 victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday at the SMART Araneta-Coliseum.

Kia had a dominating stretch in the fourth quarter where they outscored Alaska, 21-7, to blow the game wide open.

The 7-foot-3 Ramos bullied Alaska for 36 points and 33 rebounds to lead the Carnival, which picked up a fourth win against five losses in the current conference.

He got plenty of help from his teammates, though. Karl Dehesa scored 14, JR Cawaling added 13 and playmaker LA Revilla had a strong all-around effort with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Alaska fell to 2-5 after suffering a third consecutive defeat.

Kia entered the fourth quarter with a double digit advantage, 77-67, behind Ramos, who had already tallied 27 points and 21 rebounds over the first three.

But Alaska posed a serious threat in the final period when it mounted a 9-0 run early in the fourth, kicked off by a three-pointer from Cyrus Baguio and free throws from Sonny Thoss and capped by back-to-back baskets from import Damion James.

The Carnival, though, completely outmatched the Aces down the stretch.

With locals like Karl Dehesa, Reil Cervantes and even Rich Alvarez making big plays alongside the hulking Ramos and the playmaking Revilla, Kia extended its advantage to a high of 18 points, 102-84, as they turned the game into a rout in the dying minutes.

Ramos dunked the ball in a wide-open transition play to give the Carnival its largest lead. — InterAKTV (FREEMAN)