Cyrus Baguio, just three days after being traded for Willie Miller, assumed the go-to role for Alaska with great effect last night, outscoring his former team Barangay Ginebra in the fourth period for an 86-81 Fiesta Cup victory at the Araneta Coliseum.

The 29-year-old scored those points in spectacular, highlight-reel styles as the Aces overhauled a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth period to win a third straight game and rise to 3-2.

"We'd like to think that it would be this way all the time, that we got the better end of the trade," Alaska coach Tim Cone told reporters. "But you can only tell the effects of trades in time. We want the best for Willie, too.

"The best case scenario for both of us (Ginebra and Alaska) is we both make the Finals and play for all the marbles," he continued. "Willie will have his moments there and the Ginebra fans are going to love him for it.

"But tonight was Cyrus' night," said Cone after Baguio finished with 14 points, 12 in the final frame. Ginebra was good for only seven points in that stretch with no player scoring multiple baskets in the final 12 minutes.

The Aces, who on Wednesday said that they reluctantly let go of Miller, dropped an 18-0 bomb that dumbfounded the Kings as they erased a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth period and took a 78-75 lead.

Baguio was at the forefront of that attack, shooting eight of those 12 fourth quarter points highlighted by a booming triple to cap that run and having a double-pumping, running jumper off Mark Caguioa that tied the count at 75 with 4:52 left.

"I didn't expect to play this well so soon," Baguio, who dedicated his performance to recently-departed uncle Ric-Ric Marata, told reporters in Filipino. "I just prayed hard for the Lord to give me a good first game (with Alaska)."

"In that play (against Caguioa), I knew that I could outjump him so I just went hard to the basket," he said.

Ginebra was in the lead for the last time at 81-80 with 2:03 left after a basket by new import Mildon Ambres, but the Aces closed out with six unanswered points from the foul line - four by LA Tenorio and two by Baguio - to round out scoring and seal the win.

"It's now up to the whole team to step in to the sunshine," Cone said in describing how no one man could take the place of Miller in the team. "For quite a while, we were all in the shadow of Willie."

Ambres, who replaced Awvee Storey in the roster, showed some offensive promise in the first three periods but was effectively shut down by the Alaska defense when it mattered. He finished with 23 points to lead all Ginebra shooters.

Caguioa, after shooting 20 points in the first half, was held to just two points in the final two quarters, while Miller, the former two-time MVP, was broken in slowly by coach Jong Uichico and scored just two points in 18 minutes.

In the first game, San Miguel remained hot despite coming off a long break as the Beermen tore the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to shreds, 105-97.

San Miguel won a fifth straight game after getting 23 points and seven rebounds from Jay Washington and 18 points and 16 boards from Gabriel Freeman.

The final score did not really reflect how dominated the Painters were, as San Miguel led by as many as 23 points in two occasions to improve their league-leading slate to 6-1.

Rain or Shine, which got just five points from All-Star MVP Gabe Norwood, dropped to a level 3-3 card like Ginebra. Jai Lewis led the Painters with 20 markers.