GAMES WEDNESDAY
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. – NorthPort vs. Rain or Shine
7:30 p.m. – SMB vs. Magnolia
WITH the last two minutes warning glaring, Phoenix guard Tyler Tio attacked the defense of fellow former Ateneo standout and playmaker Aaron Black of defending champion Meralco last night.
Propped by a blistering start and a sustained charge, the Fuel Masters jolted the Bolts, hacking out a 109-97 victory for their first win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Tio took it to the chest of Black and shot a runner that kissed the glass before going in and giving Phoenix a 107-92 lead in the final 1:23.
Fuel Masters coach Jamike Jarin was simply elated no end after he and his charges got the monkey off their backs.
“We’re all doing the right things. We’re going to practice early, we do the extras. We follow the coaches, we’re very respectful with the coaches and the players but we just could not get the results that we wanted,” Jarin said. “We’re doing everything right but we just could not get the results that we wanted. We talked about it.
“The answer to all those questions is having fun. Probably, we’re just pressuring ourselves too much na ‘I’m doing all the work but how come I’m not making my shots, making bad decisions?’ We all just gathered together, had fun, played our game, and stayed together,” he added.
Tio led all comers with 22 points, two rebounds, and six assists for Phoenix while Ricci Rivero chipped in 20 markers, five boards, and two dimes.
Jason Perkins, who suited up for the first time after a battle with flu, promptly made an impact with 19 points and five caroms, with Kai Ballungay adding 11 and eight as the Fuel Masters redeemed themselves from two straight losses to kick off their bid in the season-ending tilt, counting an 83-92 defeat to the Converge FiberXers last April 6, and improved to 1-2.
Meralco dropped a second setback in a row after falling to San Miguel Beer 98-110 in the pro league’s retro duel last Wednesday for a 2-2 slate.
Phoenix zoomed to a 58-37 edge at the half it pushed to as much as 90-64 on two free throws by Ballungay at the 1:14 mark of the third canto.
A Jansen Rios four-pointer pulled the Bolts to within 96-107 but that proved to be too little, too late, only 1:12 remaining.
Newsome paced Meralco with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists while Bong Quinto had 17 markers and eight boards.
Black, Raymar Jose, CJ Cansino, and Raymond Almazan also contributed 12, 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively, for the Bolts.
The Fuel Masters rose exactly a week before Easter while Meralco has lots of pondering to do in the Holy Week break after back-to-back defeats.
