DONDON Hontiveros rued getting into foul trouble in Game 4 which kept him off the floor when Alaska faded down the stretch against a rejuvenated San Miguel side.
Hontiveros scored 14 points in Game Four but committed his sixth foul on an and-one play by Gabby Espinas with over four minutes left and the Aces holding on to a precarious 93-92 lead.
San Miguel went on to win the game, 110-104, and avert a sweep by the Aces.
One of Hontiveros’ foul came early in the fourth against Ryan Arana, who was later called for a technical foul for second motion that nearly sparked a fight.
The Gilas guard said he didn't know why Arana reacted the way he did.
“Hindi ko rin alam kasi bigla na lang akong binangga," he said.
[See Compton admits Alaska became too 'gigil' for its own good late in Game 4]
However, the Cebuano veteran was more frustrated with his disqualification on fouls, saying he could've helped Alaska weather the storm in overtime.
As a team, Alaska was slapped 43 fouls in the game, which led to 46 SMB free throws. Aside from Hontiveros, Calvin Abueva and JVee Casio also fouled out for the Aces along with Beerman Gabby Espinas.
"I was thinking na nag-stay pa sana ako. Nag-start din sa akin on my part na fouling. I could have stayed much longer. Pero nakita ko naman na paglabas ko, other guys were stepping up,” said Hontiveros.
“Sayang lang talaga,” he added.
Still, Hontiveros said he liked what he saw from the team after the loss.
“Nakiita ko sa mga mata nila na excited sila for the next game. We will focus and practice tomorrow. Marami kaming breakdowns na kailangan naming i-correct. We just have to focus the whole game,” said Hontiveros.