With its back pushed to the wall, Mahindra on Monday night played its best game yet in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and boosted its playoff drive by bringing down powerhouse Alaska with conviction.

Aldrech Ramos was at the firing end of a relentless Mahindra stand in the final two periods, shooting all of his 25 points in that stretch as the Enforcers scored a 102-94 victory that snapped a three-game losing streak at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

The 6-foot-7 Ramos missed just one of 12 tries from the field in the second half, hitting 16 of his total in the fourth as the Enforcers kept the Aces at bay for their fourth win in eight games that put them solidly back in the hunt for quarterfinal berths.

Augustus Gilchrist missed a triple double by just three assists after 16 points and 15 rebounds and Nino Canaleta scattered 17 for the Enforcers, who dealt the Aces a second straight defeat in a 5-3 card.

From having a shot at tying for the lead with idle Meralco before tip-off, the Aces dropped into a tie for third with crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra despite getting 24 points and 13 rebounds from import Shane Edwards.

The loss was also the second for Edwards ever since coming in as an emergency replacement for original import choice Rob Dozier a loss into the conference.

Alaska sources said that Dozier could be available for their next game, leaving coaching staff with the decision of reactivating him against someone who has gone 5-2 overall.

“It was a very important game for us, because we were coming off (a three-game) losing streak,” Mahindra coach Chito Victolero said during the customary winning coach’s interview.

“We needed to bounce back (from those losses) because we know we still have a chance (to make the playoffs) and every win is important at this point,” he added. “We hope to take the momentum of this win when we play Meralco (next week).”

Incidentally, the league takes a break for five days in observance of the Lenten Season and will resume with a regular doubleheader on Easter Sunday as Star, hot on a three-game winning streak, takes on San Miguel Beer also at the fabled Big Dome floor in the featured game.

The game had a low-scoring nature in the first half, much to how Alaska likes it, before the Enforcers managed to break free in the third to take an 11-point lead into the final quarter.

Ramos then almost singlehandedly defused all Alaska rallies in the fourth, hitting back-to-back triples in one hot stretch, with the last giving the Enforcers a 96-87 lead that put the game to bed with still 1:45 left to play.

Edwards fired nine points and Calvin Abueva 11 in the fourth as they tried to rescue the Aces. Abueva finished with 15.

Defending champion TNT notched its first winning streak of the conference – two games – after plastering Rain or Shine, 114-103, in the nightcap.

Jason Castro scored 26 points and had four assists in coming back from an ankle injury and led the Texters to the impressive win that had them also improving to 4-4 and back into the playoff chase.

“At least we’re still there (playoff hunt),” TNT coach Jong Uichico said. “But we have to take care of our next three games and hopefully, play with the same intensity that we played with tonight.”

Import David fired 20 points and had 14 rebounds and four assists, with Jai Reyes and Ryan Reyes shooting 12 each to back up Castro.

The loss spoiled the career night of Rain or Shine bruiser JR Quinahan, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Elasto Painters’ reinforcement Mo Charlo was a disappointment for the second straight game, getting half of his 22 points from the free throw line while failing to come up with the same kind of game as his dominating debut against San Miguel Beer last week.