PHOENIX pounced on a Rain or Shine side that was missing an import once again, holding on to a 114-106 victory to grab its third straight win in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Phoenix vs Rain or Shine recap
The Fuel Masters frolicked in paint as new Elasto Painters import Jordan Tolbert exceeded the 6-foot-6 limit, jumping to a 15-point first-quarter lead that ballooned to 23 on the way to sustaining their win streak and improving to 4-5 to solidify their hold on the eighth and last quarterfinal spot.
Super subs Encho Serrano and RR Garcia led eight Fuel Masters who scored at least seven points, while Du’vaughn Maxwell stuffed the stats sheet as he flirted with a rare five-by-five of 15 points, 13 boards, five steals, five blocks, and four assists.
The E-Painters, who played without an import for the second time this conference, made things interesting early on, leading by seven points at one point, but eventually suffered their third straight loss and dropped to 2-7.
RoS made another run in the payoff period. Down 16, 101-85, with over eight minutes left, the E-Painters went on a 21-9 salvo, capped by a Rey Nambatac deuce with 39 seconds left, to cut the lead to just four, 110-106, before Maxwell retaliated on the other end to restore order.
“Kudos to coach Yeng Guiao, to his coaching staff, and to the players,” Fuel Masters coach Jamike Jarin said. “They were in a disadvantage going into this game. We were up big, but you can see the heart in them, because of their coach.”
“We knew they were going to play us physical, because that’s their trademark, so just we continued to play our game,” he added. “Unfortunately, there were instance when we lost our cool, but this team is maturing already.”
Jason Perkins put up 16 points and five rebounds, while Tyler Tio added 14 points and four assists.
The E-Painters leaned on their own super subs in big men Santi Santillan and Norbert Torres, who scored 14 points apiece in a losing cause.
The scores:
PHOENIX 114 – Garcia 17, Serrano 17, Perkins 16, Maxwell 15, Tio 14, Muyang 8, Manganti 7, Mocon 7, Lalata 6, Jazul 3, Lojera 3, Alejandro 1, Camacho 0, Adamos 0, Go 0
ROS 106 – Santillan 14, Torres 14, Belga 13, Nambatac 11, Mamuyac 10, Borboran 8, Ildefonso 7, Nieto 6, Norwood 5, Caracut 5, Yap 5, Demusis 5, Asistio 3, Ponferrada 0, Clarito 0
Quarterscores: 29-14, 67-46, 89-76, 114-106
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