MANILA – Phoenix formally punched a ticket to the Philippine Basketball Association quarterfinals after beating Blackwater, 100-95, on Monday at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center.
The Fuel Masters crawled back from 16 points down after dropping 66 points on the Elite in the second half as their key players Calvin Abueva, Matt Wright, Jason Perkins, and Justin Chua delivered the goods on both ends of the hardwood.
Perkins made 18 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists to lead Phoenix, which moved to a tie for first place with Ginebra and TNT at 7-3.
Wright and Abueva each added 17 points with Abueva coming close to a triple-double with 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Chua made up for his offensive struggles with a solid defensive game where he grabbed 11 rebounds, five blocks, and one steal.
KG Canaleta made 21 markers, one rebound, one assist, and one block for Blackwater, which fell to 2-8.
Box Scores:
Phoenix 100 -- Perkins 18, Wright 17, Abueva 17, Heruela 15, Jazul 9, Garcia 9, Intal 6, Mallari 0, Rios 0
Blackwater 95 -- Canaleta 21, Belo 17, Trollano 13, Escoto 11, Tolomia 9, Sumang 8, Magat 8, Gabriel 4, Daquioag 2, Dario 2, Golla 0, Salem 0
Quarterscores: 15-21, 34-45, 67-70, 100-95 (PNA)
