MATTHEW Wright stamped his class in scoring once again, Calvin Abueva played unselfish basketball on his way to a triple-double, and Phoenix Super LPG trounced Terrafirma, 116-94, on Tuesday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga.
Wright continued his rampage as the leading scorer thus far in the conference contributed 33 points after burying six of his 12 three-point shots on his way to lift the Fuel Masters to their fifth win in eight outings.
Meanwhile, Abueva contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds, but the story of his game on Tuesday was his willingness to share the ball as he ended with a career-high 10 assists as Phoenix got back to its winning ways in the resumption of the bubble season following its defeat against Alaska last October 29.
Abueva’s triple-double effort for the Fuel Masters sent the winless Dyip to their sixth consecutive defeat.
The Fuel Masters seemed to enjoy moving the ball in the match held inside the Smart Giga Clark City bubble and that led to 33 assists, compared to 16 for the Dyip.
“We always preach about service. We always talk about making your teammate look good,” said Phoenix coach Topex Robinson. “It’s always about one more pass. We always make sure that we just don’t do it in practice. We do it in the game.”
Wright started the Fuel Masters’ pullaway early in the third when he connected on a three-pointer and a lay-up. Abueva buried two free throws as his team grabbed a 70-58 lead.
Six players actually scored in double digits with RJ Jazul scoring 16 points including a triple that widen the gap to 80-64 late in the third. Brian Heruela and Jason Perkins each had 14 markers, and Justin Chua added 10 including back-to-back baskets as the lead reached the 20-point mark for the first time in the match, 86-66.
CJ Perez scored 32 points in a losing effort as Terrafirma’s woes continued at a time that the schedule was compressed once again due to the postponement of games a few days ago.
On the day team manager and legendary coach Joe Lipa celebrated his 77th birthday outside the bubble, the Dyip started the game with a 20-9 lead but failed to sustain their form come the third period.
The scores:
Phoenix Super LPG 116 – Wright 33, Jazul 16, Heruela 14, Perkins 14, Abueva 12, Chua 10, Mallari 6, Intal 4, Garcia 3, Napoles 2, Rios 2, Gamboa 0, Marcelo 0.
Terrafirma 94 – Perez 32, Tiongson 15, Camson 11, Ramos 9, Adams 6, Gabayni 5, Cahilig 4, Balagasay 4, McCarthy 3, Batiller 3, Celda 2, Calvo 0, Khobuntin 0, Faundo 0, Agovida 0.
Quarters: 23-26; 59-55; 86-71; 116-94.
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