ALEX Compton expressed disappointment for the many defensive breakdown Alaska committed in its 100-86 Game Two loss to San Miguel on Friday night in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
“We had some defensive breakdowns, and obviously, 32 fouls (of Alaska) and (San Miguel’s) 22 fouls is not good and we gave them (Beermen) 20-of-25 free throws, and that doesn’t help us win,” said Compton as he took a quick glance at the stats sheet following the Aces’ loss that tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
While Alaska’s patented defense still forced San Miguel to 23 turnovers, Compton didn’t like the fact the Aces somehow let the Beermen dictate the tempo of the game especially in the pivotal fourth. “Usually for us, teams which score 100 points, we’ll have a tough time because our strength hasn’t been offensive shootouts,” explained the 40-year-old Alaska mentor.
“That’s okay when a good team like San Miguel make tough shots, but we gave them too many easy shots.” The Beermen broke the tightly-fought game wide open after outscoring the Aces, 28-16, in the final period. Arwind Santos and Chris Ross engineered the Beermen’s lethal 19-4 blast in the fourth quarter to deal the knockout punch against the Aces.
Game Three is set on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Beermen looking to grab a 2-1 advantage in title series.
