ALASKA FINALLY BREAKS INTO WIN COLUMN

4th quarter explosion by Cariaso paces Aces in win over Tigers
Philippine Basketball Association website
Friday, 26 October 2007

Willie Miller was far less explosive Friday night than he was in his first two games of the season. But he did knock a couple of big shots and came up with a crucial stop in the closing seconds to preserve Jeffrey Cariaso's gutsy effort and help Alaska get out of a slump.

The Aces, who are coming off a championship conquest in last July’s season-ending Fiesta Conference, continued to struggle under the new rules imposed by the league this new season but managed to hang on this time and beat the Coca-Cola Tigers, 98-94, for their first win in three games in the Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

With Miller having an off night, the Aces turned to Cariaso, who patiently held the team together on the strength of his experience and court savvy.

The veteran guard led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 11 in the fourth quarter to anchor Alaska's frantic charge down the stretch which enabled the Aces to overhaul an 83-76 Coca-Cola lead with under nine minutes to play.

"It's hard to win these days. The case is so frenetic. It looks like we no longer have control of the game," offered Alaska coach Tim Cone, admitting it seems hard for his team to win what has now become a fast-paced game.

"The coaches feel like they no longer have control of the game. It's like a high school game. It makes us look stupid," the American tactician said in the post-game interview.

Ronjay Enrile brought Coca-Cola back on top, 87-84, with an eight-foot jumper from the right corner with 3:26 to play. But Mike Cortez, who had 16 points and nine assists, hit a 3-pointer and Cariaso knocked another one to give Alaska a one-point lead.

Ali Peek, Coke's tireless center, completed a three-point play to tie the count at 90-all with 2:35 left but Cortez and Miller each sank a free throw and Cariaso scored on a Cortez pass as the Aces took the lead for good.

Two free throws by John Arigo pulled the Coke to within 92-94 and the Tigers made the situation scary when Reynel Hugnatan, who had 17 points, turned the ball over in Alaska's next possession.

Unfortunately, the Tigers couldn't capitalize. Rookie Ronjay Buenafe, who took the inbound, found himself working against Miller, who then gave the rookie guard no room to maneuver in the process forcing a turnover.

Miller, the reigning league MVP, came into the game averaging 34 points a night. But on Friday he managed just 11 points on a 2-of-11 shooting from the field.

Peek turned in 20 points and Arigo added 15 for Coke which evened its record to 1-1 with the loss. (DBC)

The scores:

Alaska 98 – Cariaso 22, Hugnatan 17, Cortez 16, Miller 11, Thoss 9, Ferriols 8, Laure 6, dela Cruz 4, Bono 3, Quinahan 2.
Coca-Cola 94 – Peek 20, Arigo 15, Buenafe 14, Telan 13, Enrile 10, Calimag 10, Echavez 5, Misolas 3, Isip 2, Tolomia 2, Duremdes 0.
Quarterscores: 23-23, 51-49, 73-76, 98-94.