THE bleeding stops.
Mahindra snapped its three-game losing slide, taking down powerhouse Alaska, 102-94, to get back in contention in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Monday night.
Vastly improving Aldrech Ramos was on fire in the second half, where he scattered all of his career-high 25 points on a very efficient 11-of-15 shooting, and his offensive barrage and clutch shooting in the fourth helped lift the Enforcers to the impressive triumph.
Ramos, who also had seven rebounds, got plenty of help as Nino Canaleta scored 17, while Augustus Gilchrist had 16 and Karl Dehesa contributed 14 for Mahindra.
While the Enforcers ended their dry spell and improved to 4-4 for a tie for sixth with idle Star, the erstwhile league-leading Aces lost their second straight and slipped to a third-place tie with Barangay Ginebra (5-3).
Mahindra was able to establish a double-digit lead, 37-26, with three minutes left in the opening half after back-to-back baskets from LA Revilla that capped off a 15-4 scoring surge in the middle of the second quarter.
Digging itself out of trouble right away, Alaska countered with a 13-6 run of its own to narrow the gap to just four points, 39-43, at halftime.
However, Mahindra was really determined to end its losing skid.
Still with a lot left in the tank, the Enforcers regained control after they produced a 10-0 blast to end the third period, restoring a sizeable 11-point lead, 76-65, entering the payoff quarter.
The Aces cut their deficit to just two, 82-80, after a 15-6 run with over five minutes left, but Mahindra kept its composure and still had a finishing kick left.
The Enforcers replied with a swift 9-0 bomb to put themselves to safety and climb their lead back up to 11, 91-80, with only three minutes remaining.
That proved to be the dagger as they were finally able to complete the remarkable upset victory.
The scores:
MAHINDRA 102—Ramos 25, Canaleta 17, Gilchrist 16, Dehesa 14, Revilla 10, Bagatsing 5, Ballesteros 5, Pinto 5, Guinto 3, De Vera 2, Digregorio 0, Jaime 0, Yee 0.
ALASKA 94—Edwards 24, Abueva 15, Manuel 12, Banchero 10, Jazul 10, Thoss 7, Baguio 6, Hontiveros 6, Dela Rosa 4, Exciminiano 0, Menk 0, Racal 0.
Quarters: 16-16, 43-39, 76-65, 102-94