PHOENIX banked on a fiery fourth quarter finish to edge out Meralco, 94-90, in come-from-behind fashion and snap its two-game slide in the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan City last night.
In yet another solid outing, prized rookie Matthew Wright proved his worth once more, scoring a team-high 22 points, to go with eight rebounds as he powered the Fuel Masters to a much-needed victory.
With the game hanging in the balance, Cyrus Baguio sank a go-ahead triple with 1:12 left to give Phoenix a crucial edge, 91-90, entering the final minute after several exchanges of big shots.
Two more free throws from Wright with 27 seconds left pushed the Fuel Masters’ lead to 93-90.
The Bolts had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Jonathan Grey missed a potential-tying three-pointer with 20 seconds left, allowing the Fuel Masters to hold on.
The win moved Phoenix up in the middle of the standings with an improved 3-3 card, while Meralco further slipped in the bottom half with its 2-3 mark following this second straight defeat.
“I am just relieved. We lost the last two games by an average of 31 points. It’s like sleepless nights for all of us. At the halfway point, we’re 2-3, and we’re not out. On our sixth game, I told them let’s just start 0-0,” said Phoenix coach Ariel Vanguardia. “This arena brings back a lot of memories… maraming laban ang naipanalo rito.”
Down 65-75 entering the fourth, the Fuel Masters knew they needed to have one splendid showing in the final canto to steal the game and they were able to do just that.
A blistering 11-0 run to start the payoff frame turned the tides for Phoenix as it snatched the lead, 76-75, and caught Meralco by surprise.
The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way, but the Fuel Masters made the crucial plays in the final minute-and-a-half to get the triumph.
Grey led all scorers with his career-high 24 points to lead the way for the Bolts.
From a 49-all standstill early in the third, the Bolts took control midway in the period, orchestrating a pivotal 22-10 run to hold a double-digit lead, 71-59, at the 2:46 mark before taking a 75-65 advantage into the fourth.
Phoenix retaliated and had a strong start to the fourth to climb back into the game and eventually take it away.
It was 45-44 at the half with the Fuel Masters taking a very slim edge at the turn.
Phoenix actually had a nice start, coming out of the gates with an 18-10 lead to start the game to gain early leverage.
The scores:
PHOENIX 94—Wright 22, Borboran 17, Baguio 11, Alolino 11, Enciso 7, J.Wilson 7, Torres 6, Caperal 5, Hayes 4, Lanete 4, Javillonar 0, Miranda 0.
MERALCO 90—Grey 24, Hugatan 15, Hodge 12, Daquioag 11, Yeo 9, Amer 7, Nabong 4, Newsome 2, Al-Hussaini 2, Caram 2, Chua 2, Uyloan 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19, 45-44, 65-75, 94-90