MANILA: The road to the top was fairly easy for Barangay Ginebra and Alaska last night.

On Sunday, the Gin Kings and the Aces get to push each other down their lofty perches.

Even with Mark Caguioa and Eric Menk, the Kings proved too much to handle for guest squad Smart Gilas, which took a third straight loss flush on the chin, 100-72, in the Philippine Cup eliminations at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

Just hours after, the Aces doubled up on Coca-Cola in the fourth period to post a 100-79 decision of the Tigers and match Ginebra’s 3-0 record going into their crucial match on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

“We set ourselves up for a very interesting one game on Sunday,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone, after getting 17 points from LA Tenorio and double digits from three others in also dealing a third straight loss on the Tigers.

“They (Kings) obviously still has a lot of teeth left, they showed that (against Smart Gilas) today,” Cone said of Ginebra. “They are a lot deeper team than Coca-Cola.

They have so much quickness. We have to be able to control tempo.”

Coca-Cola played without main man Asi Taulava, who is nursing a sprained right foot, and Cone said that this was the reason why they handled the Tigers so easily.

Ronald Tubid led the Kings with 22 points and reigning MVP Jay-Jay Helterbrand added 15 before coach Jong Uichico talked with a lot of pity, somewhat, at the fate that the National Aspirants have suffered so far in their PBA participation.

“We’d like to help, but sometimes, winning gets in the way of preparing the national team,” Uichico. “We need the win and we had to do whatever we can to try and win the game. It’s hard (mentally, for them) to be dominated that way.”

Smart Gilas played without naturalization candidate CJ Giles and skipper Chris Tiu, with Giles still failing to get his mind in the game because of an ailing son back in the United States .

Tiu is still out because of a shoulder injury. Mark Barroca paced the Aspirants with 20 points while two-time UAAP MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini backed him up with 14.

But none of them was able to step up in the fourth period when the Kings broke the game open, as the Aspirants were only good for 14 points compared to the 30 put up by the Kings, who turned a 70-58 third quarter lead into a rout.

That was the same story for the Aces, who scored 36 fourth quarter points compared to the Tigers’ 18, as sophomore Mark Borboran scored all of his eight points in that span to lead a swashbuckling windup for Alaska.

Alex Cabagnot tossed in 15 points to lead Coca-Cola, with Marvin Cruz adding 11 and RJ Rizada tossing in 10 in a losing cause. Meanwhile, Purefoods completed a night of routs, ripping Barako Bull, 92-77 with franchise players James Yap and Kerby Raymundo shooting 17 points apiece.

Yap, a former MVP, scored 11 of his total in the final two periods, while Raymundo scattered seven points in the third quarter before dropping eight in the fourth.

Don Allado added 13 while Roger Yap contributed 12 in a familiar start at the point guard spot.

“I told the players that this is one game that we cannot take for granted,” Purefoods coach Gregorio said. “We were up against a team that wanted to prove something. In the end, I think the respect we have accorded them paid off.

“We played tough defense on one end and focused on our execution on the other,” he continued. “I’m looking at our team and we’re far from being fluid. I’m sure with a long conference like this, we can come up with more fluid execution.”

Rookie Regomar Menor, the former ace out of collegiate power San Beda, led the Energy Boosters with 14 points, while Alex Crisano, the 6-foot-7 journeyman center, added 13 and 10 rebounds for his first double-double in six years.