Aces gain playoff for semis seat

Alaska rode on a big second quarter run then thwarted Purefoods’ repeated rallies down the stretch to pound out a 69-60 victory last night and gain a playoff for a semifinal berth in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Makati Coliseum.

"We took care of our own business," said Alaska coach Tim Cone. "We’ll be rooting for FedEx tomorrow."

Alaska finished the classification phase with an 11-7 (win-loss) record and could earn outright entry into the Final Four if the Beermen, with a 10-7 slate, lose to the Express in the final elims match today. Otherwise, the Aces and the Beermen will have to dispute the slot.

The Hotdogs fell to 7-11 but finished 8th overall after Coca-Cola Tigers beat the Shell Turbochargers, 82-81, in the second game.

Dickey Simpkins poured in 30 points, 20 coming in the second half, and Jeffrey Cariaso contributed 21 in the low scoring match where defense was given more emphasis.

But it was Mike Cortez, coming off a 19-point, 10-assist game against Talk n Text in the Aces’ last outing, who foiled Purefoods’ comeback.

Cortez only scored eight points, but the former De La Salle ace buried a big three-point shot when the Hotdogs came to within 53-59, setting off a 7-0 run that completely weathered the Hotdogs’ rally.

Lorenzo Coleman had 20 points for Purefoods, 12 in the third quarter. But the 7-footer only scored three points in the final period.

For the entire second half, the Aces were busy protecting double-digit leads, a margin they managed to create after a 16-4 run early in the second period gave them a commanding 30-12 lead they never relinquished.