Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — The Alaska Aces outlasted the Meralco Bolts, 108-103, in a closely fought game that took two overtime periods to finish in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Tuesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The Aces thus improved to a 4-5 win-loss record, improving their chances to qualify for the playoffs as they tied Ginebra, GlobalPort and Kia at sixth to ninth place in the standings. The loss sent the Bolts sliding to a three-way tie for second to fourth place in the rankings with idle Rain or Shine and Talk N Text, all with a 6-3 card, allowing Purefoods (7-3) to vault to solo first place. Import Damion James led the Aces with 25 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime period. Calvin Abueva was the top local scorer for Alaska with 18 points on top of eight rebounds. Four other Aces scored in double-digits with Chris Banchero coming up with 13 points, Cyrus Baguio and Dondon Hontiveros with 12 points apiece, and Vic Manuel with 11 markers. Meralco import Josh Davis led all scorers with 34 points on top of 17 rebounds. Mike Cortez posted 16 points while Jared Dillinger and John Wilson added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Purefoods 103, Barako Bull 96 The Purefoods Star Hotshots moved closer to grabbing a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals as they tamed the Barako Bull Energy, 103-96, on the strength of another monstrous performance of their import Denzel Bowles. Bowles exploded for 34 points, 21 of them in the third quarter when the Hotshots started pulling away. The veteran import also hauled down 17 rebounds as Purefoods moved ahead of idle Talk N Text (6-3) and Rain or Shine (6-3) to climb to the top of the standings with a 7-3 win-loss record. Joe Devance added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Allein Maliksi chipped in with 13 markers on 6-for-8 shooting off the bench for Purefoods. Barako Bull uncorked a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut Purefoods' lead to five, 99-94, but that proved to be the closest the Energy could come as Devance and Marc Pingris nailed down crucial baskets in the homestretch to stem the Barako Bull uprising. Import Solomon Alabi led Barako Bull with 29 points, while Chico Lanete pitched in with 21 markers. JC Intal and Sol Mercado added 15 and 14 points, respectively. The slumping Energy suffered their fourth straight loss and fell to a 4-6 record, placing solo ninth and in danger of outright elimination. Belga, Almazan fined Rain or Shine big man Beau Belga has been slapped with fines totalling 70,000 pesos (US$1,590) for “unsportsmanlike and offensive” behavior as well as three incidents in which non-calls or regular fouls were upgraded to flagrant fouls after a video review. The PBA censured Belga for “taunting, provoking, and scoffing at the fans with the use of a dirty finger as well as offensive and physical gestures” during the Rain or Shine-Ginebra match Sunday night which the Painters won 82-79. The league also penalized Belga's teammate Raymond Almazan with a 40,000-peso (US$900) fine for the same offense. Games Wednesday: Kia Carnival vs. NLEX Road Warriors; San Miguel Beermen vs. Talk N Text Tropang Texters
