BASER Amer hit a game-winner for the second straight outing, hitting a fallaway jumper in the waning seconds to lead Blackwater to a 91-89 win over Phoenix in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
Amer sank the clutch jumper with 1.6 seconds left to give the Bossing the lead for good in a see-sawing thriller, replicating his last-second heroics in a dramatic 90-89 win over his former team Meralco last June 30.
Matthew Wright missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer as the Bossing raised their record to 5-1 after their fourth straigh win - easily one of the best start in the history of the long-suffering franchise.
An emotional coach Ariel Vanguardia admitted it was the same winning play they did a week ago when Amer banked in the marginal basket against the Bolts.
"Yes, same play and alam ko alam nila (Phoenix). But if you review the play, there's an opportunity for Baser to go backdoor to Rashawn (McCarthy) kasi open din naman si Rashawn," said Vanguardia.
"Pero baka worry niya ma-turn over, open naman siya, kaya tinira niya na," he added.
Ular hits career high
The thrilling win also preserved the heroics of rookie Ato Ular, who hit a career-high 34 points, including 15 in the final quarter. The freshman from Letran also grabbed 10 rebounds and was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Top pick Brandon Ganuelas Rosser also finished in double figures with 16 points while Amer added nine and did the same 'Night, Night' act he did against the Bolts shortly after hitting the game winner.
It was another heartbreaking loss for Phoenix, which led by as many as 12 late in the first half and was still on top, 89-86, with 39 seconds left to play.
But Yousef Taha completed a three-point play to tie the score at 89, before Wright missed on a three pointer.
Rosser collared the rebound and Blackwater sued for a timeout to map out its final play.
Jason Perkins returned for Phoenix to score 22 points and eight rebounds, Wright added 15 and eight assists, while rookie Tyler Tio also had 15 on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Fuel Masters lost for the fourth straight game, further burying the team down the standings with a 2-6 record.
The scores:
Blackwater (91) - Ular 34, Ganuelas-Rosser 16, Amer 9, Suerte 7, McCarthy 5, Taha 5, Melton 5, Torralba 4, Casio 4, Ebona 2, Sena 0.
Phoenix (89) - Perkins 22, Tio 15, Wright 15, Lalata 10, Jazul 8, Anthony 6, Mocon 5, Muyang 4, Rios 2, Garcia 2, Melecio 0, Porter 0, Serrano 0, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 16-19; 36-42; 61-66; 91-89.
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