Alaska Milk went to LA Tenorio in the stretch as it escaped with a 95-94 victory over crowd darling Brgy. Ginebra to seize a share of the lead with Rain or Shine with two straight wins in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
High-leaping LD Williams paced the Aces with 25 points including some highlight slam dunks while Joe de Vance had 18 points and 10 rebounds but it was Tenorio who made the most crucial plays in the stretch to nail it for them.
"Leads are never safe in the PBA," said Alaska coach Tim Cone, who nearly whittled under pressure by nearly blowing a 26-point lead if not for Tenorio's heroics.
Tenorio, who finished with 18 points he spiked with six assists and four boards, turned a 92-94 deficit to a 95-94 lead with a booming triple and then stole the ball off the big hands of Ginebra with 3.4 seconds to go preserve the win and staved off potential embarrassment after Alaska led by as much as 26 points early in the second quarter.
The Kings, who were led by Brumfield's 24 and Willie Miller's 22 points, fell to their first setback against a win.
An LA Tenorio triple-capped 11-7 surge at the start of the final quarter gave the Aces a n 88-80 cushion going into the last five minutes of the game.
The Kings then unleashed a blistering run at the start of the third quarter anchored this time on the pair of Brumfield and Willie Miller to seize a 65-62 lead.
But timely shots by the tandem of Joe de Vance and LA Tenorio stabilized things up for Alaska, which ended quarter regaining a 77-73 upperhand.
The Aces roared to a might start as the slam-dunking Williams went on a 15-point barrage while the equally athletic Baguio unloaded a 10-point binge himself to end the first quarter ahead, 37-17.
Alaska made it a 26-point advantage early in the second quarter but Ginebra toughened up its defense and went to the four-some of Brumfield, JC Intal, Mark Caguioa and Miller in closing the gap to within a single-digit, 44-53, at the break.
During the period, the Kings held Williams to just a basket while outscoring the Aces, 27-16, there to make the game a little more interesting.
The scores:
Alaska 95- Williams 25, de Vance 18, Tenorio 18, Baguio 15, Custodio 7, Thoss 5, Borboran 4, dela Cruz 3, Dulay 0, Eman 0
Brgy. Ginebra 94- Brumfield 24, Miller 22, Tubid 15, Caguioa 9, Villanueva 8, Intal 7, Cortez 7, Menk 2, Wilson 0, Hatfield 0
Quarterscores: 37-17; 53-44; 77-73; 95-94
source: pba.ph
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