PHOENIX started out hot and ended the same way as it rolled to its third straight victory by downing abysmal Blackwater, 93-81, moving closer to a berth in the playoffs in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Wednesday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Once again, Eugene Phelps was at the forefront of Phoenix’s attack, scoring a game-high 29 points, while Mark Borboran added 15 markers for the Fuel Masters.
Phoenix improved to 5-4 and moved up to fifth place in the standings, while moving a win away from securing a berth in the quarterfinals.
“We’ll take this win. It wasn’t a quality win for me, but we’ll take it,” said Phoenix coach Ariel Vanguardia, who didn’t like how his team allowed Blackwater to come close on multiple occasions despite the Fuel Masters controlling the game from start to finish.
On the other hand, this seventh straight loss dropped the cellar-dweller Elite to 1-8 and officially eliminated it from contention in the tournament.
All it took for Phoenix to grasp control en route to another victory was a dominant starting run that set the tone.
The Fuel Masters came out like a house on fire, erecting a 17-6 jumpstart that immediately gave them a commanding double-digit lead with under five minutes left in the opening quarter.
Though Blackwater had multiple runs throughout the game and came close on several occasions, Phoenix remained composed and kept its lead until it eventually carved an easy finish.
It carried a 47-41 cushion at the half, while ending the third with only a 65-61 lead.
The Fuel Masters then stepped on the gas pedal harder in the final period, banking on a 9-3 run to start the final 12 minutes and open up a 74-64 cushion. They never looked back and held on the rest of the way.
The scores:
Phoenix 93—Phelps 29, Borboran 15, Enciso 12, Baguio 10, Buenafe 8, W. Wilson 7, Urbiztondo 6, Caperal 3, Cruz 2, Pennisi 1, Lee 0, Lanete 0, J. Wilson 0, Miranda 0.
Blackwater 81—Dela Cruz 18, Lastimosa 18, King 14, Pinto 9, Miranda 8, Sena 6, Gamalinda 4, Golla 2, Pascual 2, Eguilos 0, Reyes 0, Sumang 0.
Quarters: 25-20, 47-41, 65-61, 93-81