MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk got off to a strong start and sustained a searing pace throughout as it clobbered a hapless Powerade side, 106-82, in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.
Cyrus Baguio put in a team-high 24 points, including 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while import Larry Demetrius Williams logged 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists to lead the Aces to an impressive debut in the mid-season tourney.
“It was never easy. It takes a lot of work, and the preparation that goes with it is really tough,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.
LA Tenorio and Sonny Thoss added double-digit outputs for the Aces, coming off a sixth-place finish in the Philippine Cup.
Williams provided the Aces tremendous boost with his slam-dunking performance that wowed the crowd.
“It deflates the other team when LD does that,” said Cone, referring to Williams’ electrifying slams.
“The fans are going to love LD. He does some stuff on the floor that not every player can do. He does a lot more than jump and dunk because he’s a good passer and runs the court well,” added Cone of Williams, who’s said to be the youngest player to rule the NBA D-League slam-dunk contest while playing for Springfield Armour.
“We’re pleased with him, pleased with the chemistry. He’s a good kid, nice guy, easy to be with and gets along with players easily.”
Williams was forced to play limited minutes versus the Tigers due to cramps suffered midway through the third quarter. He sat out the rest of the game.
“Obviously, we can’t have him cramping in the middle of the third quarter against Ginebra in our next game. That’s going to kill us. We have to do something about it,” said Cone.
Russel Carter, who played college ball at Notre Dame, led all scorers with 34 points including 20 in the second half when the game was already decided.
Hassan Adams scattered 30 points and Rain or Shine overcame a faltering finish, escaping with a 95-94 win over B-MEG Derby Ace in the second game.
Meanwhile, PBA officials raised concerns after the Alaska-Powerade game was aired on a delayed basis on Studio 23 due to conflict of schedule with the volleyball finals of the UAAP.
It was the second time Studio 23 encountered airing problems after it failed to telecast the early part the opening game pitting Barangay Ginebra and Meralco in Laoag City last Friday, citing troubles with the satellite feed.
PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said the failure of Studio 23 to broadcast the game live yesterday means an automatic sanction on Solar Sports.
“Under our contract, failure in their part to air the games live equates to penalty,” said Salud in a statement.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment