SEVENTH HEAVEN

Dickey Simpkins shrugged off an anemic first half and towed Alaska to a come-from-behind 89-78 win over Coca-Cola Sunday night in PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The win was seventh in a row for the Aces who now seized the solo top spot with an 8-4 win-loss mark.And Simpkins, for the nth time, was the main reason to keep the winning streak of Alaska alive.

The 32-year old NBA veteran poured in 32 points, 21 came in the second half and grabbed a game-high 20 rebounds to erase a forgettable first half where he was checked by the defense of the Tigers.

"Dickey is no spring chicken but he has so much heart. And playing for back-to-back games, he has to dig deep to come out strong in the second half," said Alaska head coach Tim Cone.

"Coke really played good defense on him and I thought that's the best defense we had from any team since Dickey has arrived," Cone added.

Brandon Cablay added 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for Alaska, which is now 7-1 with Simpkins after starting the tournament with a 1-3 slate.

Jeffrey Cariaso also struggled offensively as he was limited to just 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting but had one crucial defensive stop in the closing minute that secured the win for the Aces.

Simpkins scattered his 12 points in the third period where Alaska erased the 37-35 halftime lead of Coke via 33-23 quarter scoring to take a 68-60 lead going into the final canto.

Bong Hawkins' jumper gave the Aces their first double-digit lead at 70-60 but Coke, behind Sanford and Ali Peek, reeled off eight straight points to trim the gap to 68-70, exactly nine minutes remaining.

But Simpkins wrecked havoc inside the lane, unloading seven in Alaska's 13-8 exchange to keep the game at bay, 83-76, 1:07 left in the game.

Cariaso then swiped the ball from the hands of John Arigo in the next Coke possession which resulted to two more free throws from Simpkins to put the game beyond doubt, 85-76, 50 ticks left. Alaska now plays San Miguel Beer, aiming for its eight straight win and trying to fortify its hunt for the automatic semifinals berth.

"Of all the teams in the league, San Miguel is really the biggest challenge. They're so big and very hard to defend," Cone stated.