Imposing their strength in the final half, the Aces broke loose from a close game on the way to a convincing 113-93 win last night in the Gran Matador PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.
Galen Young came up with a near triple-double job with 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Brandon Cablay went 3-of-3 from the arc and finished with 17 points, three rebounds and one assist as they formed a deadly 1-2 punch for the Aces in their third win in four starts.
Mike Cortez, Rob Duat, Don Allado, Joachim Thoss and Ali Peek also put in significant numbers for the Aces who dealt the Turbochargers their fourth defeat against a lone win.
The Turbochargers suffered a second straight loss as coach John Moran opted to play with an all-Filipino team, sending their temporary import replacement Brian Wethers home while keeping the injured Marek Ondera on the bench.
"It’s always difficult, in terms of pressure, to play against a team without an import. We felt so much pressure in this game," said Alaska coach Tim Cone.
In the other game, Purefoods survived a 38-point performance by former import Derrick Brown as it outlasted Sta. Lucia Realty, 88-83, for its second win against three defeats.
Eddie Elisma had an impressive debut with 25 points, 17 rebounds and a conference-high five blocked shots while Rob Johnson tied his career-high 14 markers.
"But we stayed in there before letting our talent level pull us through," Cone added.
Tony dela Cruz, Mike Hrabak, Rensy Bajar and Rich Alvarez took the cudgels for the Turbochargers as they put tough resistance in the first half.
Shell was still breathing down Alaska’s neck at 62-63 before Young and Peek spearheaded a fiery run that had the Aces pulling away, 86-77, going into the payoff quarter.
The final period was all Alaska show.
"We changed defense, started switching a lot late in the third quarter and got some looseballs that led to fastbreak points," Cone said.
The Turbochargers kept the game close in the first half while shooting well from the field. They ended up with a decent 53.9-percent shooting as against the Aces’ 45.8-percent clip.
The Aces dominated the boards, 63-41, and terribly outscored the Turbochargers, 26-8, on second-chance points and, 20-6, on fastbreak.
Meanwhile, debuting Red Bull Barako import Doug Wrenn is likely to have an early baptism of fire versus Art Long as the Thunder and the Beermen clash in the 4:10 p.m. opener of another double-header at the Big Dome today.
Wrenn, Bingo Merriex’s replacement who played college ball at UConn and Washington, planed in Friday fresh from his stint in the ABA finals where his Kansas City Knights team tangled with the Long Beach Jams squad led by former NBA star Dennis Rodman.