MANILA – Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters surged to solo first place in the 2019 Honda PBA Philippine Cup after a 93-84 overtime win over the TNT KaTropa last night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Matthew Wright led the way with 23 points, Alex Mallari added 15 markers, while Calvin Abueva contributed double-double 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Fuel Masters, which improved to 2-0 win-loss slate.
From a seesaw battle early in the game, the Fuel Masters went on a huge run behind Mallari, Abueva and JC Intal for a 52-44 lead. The KaTropa countered with a run to cut the deficit to 54-56.
The Fuel Masters created distance anew in the fourth at 69-60 following a basket by LA Revilla but the KaTropa relied on the torrid shooting of Roger Pogoy to force an overtime at 79-all.
In the extension period, it was all Fuel Masters as baskets by Mallari and Wright gave them an 84-79 lead. The KaTropa cut the deficit to two but back-to-back hits by Mallari and Wright followed by two free throws by Justin Chua sealed the win for Phoenix.
Pogoy finished with career-high 30 points, including seven three-point conversions, while Jayson Castro and Michael Miranda added 18 and 11 markers, respectively, for the KaTropa (0-2).
In the first game, Meralco Bolts leaned on the fourth quarter exploits of Trevis Jackson and Nicholas Salva to stave off the Blackwater Elite, 99-94, for its first win in the conference.
Jackson was the fire starter for the Bolts in the fourth period with his outside conversions to create distance from the Elite while Salva drained timely baskets late in the game to keep their opponents at bay.
Jackson, the fifth overall pick in the recent PBA Draft, recovered from a scoreless debut to lead the way with 18 points, while Nicholas Salva added 14 markers for the Bolts, which moved up to 1-1 win-loss slate./PN
