Aces eye return to Top Four

E-Painters, BPier clash in crucial tiff

MANILA, Philippines — Alaska Milk tries to bounce back from a loss to Magnolia the last time out in a bid to get back to the Top Four as it takes on Columbian Dyip in the PBA Governors Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome tonight.

After being beaten by the Hotshots, 73-83, Sunday, the Aces tweaked their lineup a bit, reactivating center Marion Magat for forward Ronald Pascual.

And the Aces are not to take the Dyip for granted although coach Johnedel Cardel and his troops are winless in eight outings.

They clash at 4:30 p.m. preceding the 7 p.m. match between Rain or Shine (1-4) and NorthPort (2-6).

“They have been close and leading in so many of their games, and they have really been a dangerous pick-and-roll team. Defensively, we need to be at our finest, and I am looking for that defensive mindset from our players,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton.

The Aces are hard-pressed to win to stay close with the frontrunners – Magnolia at 7-1, Barangay Ginebra at 7-2, Blackwater at 6-2 and Phoenix Petroleum at 6-3.

Compton said they definitely must get better after their losses to Ginebra and Magnolia.

“We’ve got to be better if we want to beat teams like Ginebra and Magnolia. Ultimately, if you want to win a championship, you have to go through teams that are playing as well as them,” said Compton.

In the other match, Rain or Shine and NorthPort clash in a duel of teams which have just got into the win-column and now raring to build momentum to make the playoffs.

The E-Painters have finally nailed an elusive first win in the tourney on a 104-97 reversal of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in a road game in Lucena Saturday while the Batang Pier pumped life back to their sagging bid with back-to-back triumphs over the Columbian Dyip (118-101) and the Meralco Bolts (99-94).

With key players Stanley Pringle and Sean Anthony back in top shape, the Batang Pier are hopeful it’s not too late to catch up and salvage a spot in the post-elims play.

Anthony erupted for 26 points, including four three-pointers, while Pringle exploded for 24, counting six treys as the Batang Pier endured Allen Durham’s 37 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for a second straight win after six successive losses.

Behind a torrid shooting and a dogged effort on the defensive end, the E-Painters, meanwhile, pulled away in the third period and displayed poise and composure in the face of a searing Ginebra chase in the fourth quarter to chalk up a first win after losing all their first four games in the season-ending tourney.

And they have gone 1-2 minus Raymond Almazan.