Aces in Philippine Cup

it in an emotional way at the expense of Alaska, the same team that he coached for 22 years.

Peter June Simon hit the go-ahead three-pointer before Josh Urbiztondo kept B-MEG afloat with back-breaking baskets from beyond the arc in the pivotal fourth as the Llamados scored an 81-75 come-from-behind win over the Aces in their highly-anticipated showdown on a rainy Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Simon's crucial three-pointer with two minutes and 42 seconds to go in the third period shattered the game's final deadlock as B-MEG finally took the driver's seat, 55-52, after trailing by as many as 15 early in the second quarter.

And just when the Aces mounted a serious comeback, Urbiztondo was there to save Cone and the Llamados hitting a pair of three-pointers in a two-minute span to keep Alaska at bay.

Kerby Raymundo then officially awarded Cone his first ever victory in 22 years outside of Alaska by scoring on a drive in the final 20 seconds for a 79-75 count.

B-MEG now stands at 1-1 after losing against Petron in Cone's first game with the team, 83-79.

"Medyo hindi pa kasi kami nakapag-adjust kay coach nung first game. But slowly now, medyo nagagamay na namin yung sistema niya (We have not adjusted yet with coach Tim Cone in our first game. But slowly we're learning his system)," said James Yap, who paced the Llamados with 20 points.

It was also James Yap, the two-time league Most Valuable Player, who rallied B-MEG back from a 24-9 deficit in the second quarter. The Llamados entered the halftime break only down by two, 35-37.

Urbiztondo and Raymundo contributed 12 points point each, while Simon added 11.

The Aces remained winless under coach Joel Banal with a 0-2 record.

For a moment, they seemed ready to rip the game apart early on when they roared to 17-4 lead behind the guns of Cyrus Baguio, before ending the first quarter holding on to a 21-9 edge.

Samigue Eman's completed three-point play gave the Aces their biggest lead of the match at 15.

But the Llamados slowly crept their way back into the game, first tying the score at 48 midway through the third quarter, before finally getting the lead on Simon's huge three-pointer.

Sonny Thoss led the Aces with 18 points, Jay-R Reyes added 15 and L. A. Tenorio 11, including two free throws with 32 seconds to go as Alaska made its final stand, 77-75. — JVP, GMA News

Scores:
B-MEG 81—Yap J.20, Urbiztondo 12, Raymundo 12, Simon 11, De Vance 10, Reavis 8, Pingris 6, Ferriols 2, Barroca 0, Acuna 0, Maierhofer 0, Yap R. 0.

Alaska 75—Thoss 18, Reyes 15, Tenorio 11, Baguio 10, Dela Cruz 9, Baracael 4, Custodio 4, Eman 3, Bugia 1, Cablay 0.

Quarter scores: 9-21, 35-37, 61-56, 81-75.