LOCKED in a fierce battle against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the Alaska Aces will have one of their weapons in the pivotal Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinal series at 5 p.m. today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Aces heaved a huge sigh of relief when the energetic Calvin Abueva escaped suspension after he was slapped with flagrant foul penalty that led to his ejection in their 91-98 Game 4 loss last Thursday.
Abueva, however, was slapped with a P20,000 fine due to the infraction that saw him hitting Rain or Shine’s Jonthan Uyloan in the closing minutes of the contest.
Abueva’s infraction, which warrants an automatic ejection, ultimately doomed the Aces and allowed the Elasto Painters to tie the series at two games apiece.
Rain or Shine was just ahead by three points when the incident happened inside the final two minutes of the contest.
The blow sent Uyloan sprawling to the floor.
Uyloan split his two free throws then assisted Gabe Norwood for a three-pointer as Rain or Shine erected a 96-89 lead in the final 1:15.
“We wanted to win this one, and we were also helped by the stupid move of Abueva,” said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao after the game.
The two teams have alternated wins in the first four games of the series with Alaska winning Games 1 and 3 and Rain or Shine taking Games 2 and 4.