MANILA, Philippines – LaDontae Henton dropped 33 points along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block to lead the Alaska Aces in a 107-87 blowout of an import-less Blackwater Elite in the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup on Sunday, August 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With a 3-5 record, the Philippine Cup finalists are still in the running for a playoffs slot despite what has been a woeful conference devoid of consistency so far.
Kevin Racal came up with 12 points and 3 rebounds off the bench while Chris Exciminiano had 11.
Chris Banchero contributed 8 points with 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Calvin Abueva had 7 markers, 5 boards, and two rejections as Alaska capitalized on the absence of Eric Dawson, who was nursing back spasms when he also sat out the previous game.
"Obviously it was a big deal that Dawson did not play," said head coach Alex Compton, who reminded his team to never let up after learning a hard lesson against 4 days ago when they relaxed against a San Miguel that likewise played without a reinforcement.
Art Dela Cruz led the way for Blackwater with 23 points plus 5 rebounds and 4 steals, while Carlo Lastimosa added 18 points. Jason Melano was a rebound shy of a double-double with his 10 points and 9 boards.
Bambam Gamalinda also had 10 points as the prospect of a playoffs appearance are slowly evaporating for the Elite, who now sports a 1-7 record at the bottom of the standings with with 3 games remaining. – Rappler.com