PERSISTENCE was the name of the game for Phoenix.
Matthew Wright calmly knocked down the game-winning triple with two seconds remaining to lift Phoenix to an 89-87 comeback victory against debuting Magnolia for its second straight win in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last night.
Down by two in the waning seconds with the ball in hand, the Fuel Masters trusted their top gunner, who delivered, showcasing his shooting prowess with the game on the line by hitting from downtown to give his squad an 88-87 edge.
Following a technical foul from Magnolia after the play, Wright then hit an additional free throw to stretch Phoenix’s lead to 89-87.
Peter June Simon’s potential game-winning triple at the buzzer didn’t find its mark, allowing the Fuel Masters to complete their comeback run.
Wright and import James White led the charge for Phoenix with 19 points each, with the former adding eight assists and the latter 17 rebounds.
Wright’s last-gasp scoring did the trick for Phoenix as it played catch-up for the entire game before its game-turning late surge.
Despite trailing for most part of the game, Phoenix stayed within striking distance from Magnolia before snatching the win with a critical surge in the end game.
Phoenix rose and persistently crawled its way back in the fourth, orchestrating a 12-2 run midway in the period to suddenly snatch the lead, 85-84, after a White basket with just over two minutes remaining.
Earlier in the fourth, the Fuel Masters trailed the Hotshots, 82-73.
Still, Magnolia retook the lead after a hook from Ian Sangalang and a free throw from Paul Lee gave the Hotshots the edge, 87-85, heading into the final seconds.
However, through Wright’s heroics, Phoenix had the last say.
Willie Wilson added 17 markers for Phoenix.
Magnolia was led by returning import Vernon Macklin with his game-high 25 points and 17 boards.
The scores:
PHOENIX 89 – Wright 19, White 19, Wilson 17, Perkins 16, Chan 6, Jazul 4, Chua 3, Kramer 2, Intal 2, Revilla 1, Mendoza 0, Alolino 0.
MAGNOLIA 87 – Macklin 25, Lee 20, Sangalang 12, Dela Rosa 10, Jalalon 6, Herndon 6, Barroca 5, Simon 2, Brondial 1, Reavis 0, Gamalinda 0, Ramos 0.
Quarterscores: 17-24, 35-45, 63-70, 89-87.