PHOENIX Super LPG is bent on putting its past struggles behind it and Jason Perkins typified that resolve.
Perkins poured in a game-high 28 points as the Fuel Masters fashioned a dominant 96-84 victory over erstwhile streaking Terrafirma yesterday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State U Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
Vic Manuel added 18 points off the bench and Matthew Wright and Michael Calisaan chipped in the most as Phoenix led by much as 18 points against a Dyip side coming off three straight wins.
In the end, Phoenix erased the stigma of a sorry 76-94 loss to NLEX last Friday and improved its record to 3-5 in a tie with its victim.
“We were just executing, playing basketball like we do,” said Perkins who scattered 20 of his points in the first half alone, tying Manuel for the most points in a half this conference.
Manuel pulled off his feat in a 101-93 win against former team Alaska last July 24.
“We have a great offense,” added Perkins, who made 10 of his 17 shots. “(Assistant) coach Jon (Jacinto), he runs a great offense and we’re just doing it, moving the ball around, executing and passing the ball to the open man.”
Coach Topex Robinson was pleased that his team shot 37-of-78 from the floor and emerged with a 51-39 rebounding advantage.
“They (Dyip) beat San Miguel, they beat Ginebra, they beat Blackwater. That means they’re really here on a mission,” said Robinson. “We just respected the team. We know that if we’re not gonna give our best basketball that’s a recipe for a loss for us.”
Juami Tiongson had 13 points to pace Terrafirma, which failed to duplicate its franchise-best streak in the 2016 Governors Cup where it started 4-0.
Roosevelt Adams, Joseph Gabayni, Eric Camson and Rashawn McCarthy each had at least 10 points for the Dyip, who fought back from an early 3-15 deficit to even briefly grab the lead at 40-39.
They were in the match only up to the end of the third period after Camson’s buzzer-beating heave from 38 feet made it 64-69 before Manuel scored nine of his points in an assault that resulted in as much as a 90-72 spread.
Greatly hurting Terrafirma’s chances was the injury suffered by all-around workhorse Andreas Cahilig early in the second period that forced his full sidelining the rest of the game.
