PHOENIX leaned on a Ken Tuffin basket then held on for a 99-98 win against Converge on Saturday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Philsports Arena.
The Phoenix rookie scored the go-ahead basket with five seconds left off a perfect feed by Jason Perkins to survive a brave fightback by the FiberXers.
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The Fuel Masters then watched with bated breath as Aljun Melecio missed a potential game-winning basket at the buzzer, allowing Phoenix to escape with a fourth straight win.
Coach Jamike Jarin said the team's final play had Tuffin as one of the options.
"One of the options there was Kent if there was no one to pass to. Fortunately, Perks (Perkins) saw him. We had some scramble on the back screen for JT (Johnathan Williams) and fortunately for us, KT made the basket," he said of the offensive sequence that improved Phoenix's record to 5-1 overall for second place.
Williams led the Fuel Masters with 27 points and 16 rebounds, Perkins added 20 points and seven rebounds, while another rookie in Ricci Rivero had six of his 12 points in the final quarter.
Converge came close to clinching a breakthrough win this conference after import Tom Vodanovich snatched the offensive for a putback that put the FiberXers on top for the last time at 98-97 in the final 10 seconds.
Vodanovich ended up with 35 points and nine rebounds, scoring 12 in the fourth period to keep Converge within striking distance.
Deschon Winston added 15 points and eight rebounds and fellow rookie Bryan Santos was also in double figures with 11.
Hurting Converge's bid was Melecio ending up scoreless on 0-of-13 shooting from the field. He also missed three free throws with 1:21 to go after being fouled by Tyler Tio while attempting from three-point range and Converge down by three.
The FiberXers remain winless in five outings.
The scores:
Phoenix (99) - Williams 27, Perkins 20, Rivero 12, Mocon 9, Tuffin 8, Tio 7, Alejandro 6, Manganti 5, Garcia 3, Jazul 2, Soyud 0, Daves 0, Verano 0, Camacho 0.
Converge (98) - Vodanovich 35, Winston 15, Santos 11, Balanza 10, Arana 10, Racal 9, Tallo 3, Ambohot 3. Caralipio 2, Fornillos 0 Wong 0, Melecio 0.
Quarterscores: 27-27; 47-48; 70-70; 99-98.
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