Gary David cut loose from the tight-guarding Willie Miller, popped out from the three-point land, caught the inbound pass and then unleashed a three-pointer which beat the buzzer, giving the Air21 Express to a nail-biting, 109-107 win over the Alaska Aces last night in the 34th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
David's heroics allowed the Express to extend their winning run to three, improving their overall record to 3-3 (win-loss).
David's buzzer-beating triple came after Miller made an undergoal stab off a nifty pass from LA Tenorio, allowing the Aces to take a 107-106 lead with only a second left in the clock.
The Express then called for a timeout to map out the game-winning play.
Alaska jumped to a torrid start and led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter before the Express staged their own rally and tied the score after two quarters at 53-all.
With momentum on their side, Air21 kept rolling in the second half and looked headed to a blowout win when it erected a 13-point lead going into the final four minutes of the contest.
But Alaska launched its own version of a fightback only to be spoiled by David's back-breaking triple.
Arwind Santos led the Express with 25 points and 14 rebounds, David had 18 points and seven boards, while Wynnie Arboleda contributed 15 markers.
Joe De Vance played his best game in an Alaska uniform after he tallied 25 points, one point short of his career-high, Miller scattered 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Larry Fonacier donated 16 for the Aces, who succumbed to their second straight loss after starting the conference with four straight wins.
De Vance keyed Alaska's hot start, scoring 19 first half points on a seven-for-10 shooting from the field.BOX SCORES
AIR21 (109)- Santos 25, David 18, Arboleda 15, De Ocampo 13, Se 13, Quiñahan 7, Cruz 5, Kramer 4, Sta. Maria 4, Billones 4, Canaleta 4.
ALASKA (107)- De Vance 25, Miller 20, Fonacier 16, Tenorio 13, Thoss 11, Ferriols 9, Hugnatan 7, Cariaso 4, Dela Cruz 2. |
