Games Wednesday (Astrodome, Pasay City)

5:15 p.m. — B-Meg vs Barako Bull

7:30 p.m. — Meralco vs Petron

MANILA, Philippines — LA Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio knocked in crucial outside shots in the homestretch as Alaska weathered Rain or Shine's furious comeback to hack out a 109-102 victory in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces saw their 14-point third quarter lead evaporate when the Elasto Painters took a slim 97-96 on a basket by import Duke Crews with under four minutes left in the contest.

But Baguio answered with a triple on the next possession then Tenorio fired a long two with 2:29 left even as Crews lost steam down the stretch by missing several baskets inside.

With the victory, Alaska improved to an even 1-1 slate after a 98-78 loss to Barako Bull last Friday.

"We were struggling when they played zone in the end," said coach Joel Banal. "It was good that LA and Cyrus saved us. We made freethrows in the end and that's a good sign."

Baguio finished with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting while dishing out seven assists to power the Aces, who are seeking a much-better performance this time after a dismal showing in the Philippine Cup.

And in its bid to do such, Alaska went away with the Triangle Offense that has been a fixture since the arrival of former coach Tim Cone in 1989 for a more liberalized offense.

"It's easier to learn than to unlearn," said Banal, who guided Talk N' Text to the 2003 PBA All-Filipino Cup crown. "We just keep it simple but we're not totally putting away the triangle, we're just putting it in a shelf."

"Siguro nakuha na namin yung tamang combination," said Baguio. "Magulo kami nung first game at nahirapan kami kaya sana magtuloy-tuloy na yung magandang laro namin."

Alaska import Adam Parada scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Tenorio added 19 while Bonbon Custodio drained 12 markers, including two foul shots with 58.8 ticks left to make it 103-98 to pull away.

Crews had 34 points in his PBA debut but it was not enough for Rain or Shine to suffer a defeat on its second conference debut. Jeff Chan had 18 markers while rookie Paul Lee added 11.

It was the Painters' first action in three weeks after losing a hard-fought seven-game semis series with Powerade in the Philippine Cup.

The scores:

First Game

ALASKA 109 — Baguio 25, Parada 24, Tenorio 19, Custodio 12, Thoss 8, Salamat 7, Eman 6, Baracael 4, Reyes 4.

RAIN OR SHINE 102 — Crews 34, Chan 18, Lee 11, Cruz 8, Arana 8, Norwood 6, Belga 6, Quinahan 4, Buenafe 3, Jaime 2, Ibanes 2, Matias 0.

Quarters: 28-20; 55-49; 85-74; 109-102.