Despite shooting bricks all game long, Calvin Abueva still persevered and eventually delivered.
With six ticks left, Abueva came up big in the clutch. He lifted the Phoenix Fuel Masters to a thrilling 93-92 overtime win over the Meralco Bolts, Wednesday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Abueva – who had been shooting just 1-of-12 from the field prior to the last possession off the game – cleaned up a Justin Chua miss with six seconds left to give Phoenix the lead. With no timeouts left, Meralco could not get a clean shot up as time expired.
“Patience is a virtue. The whole game, si Calvin, hindi ko sinasabing masama ang laro – actually understatement ang masama. Fifty-percent ata ang free throws niya, and field goal niya ang baba,” admitted Phoenix head coach Louie Alas.
“Pero good thing mga assistant coach sabi ‘pagpasensyahan mo coach, kailangan mo sa dulo’, and it happened,” he added.
Justin Chua led the Fuel Masters with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting alongside six rebounds. Matthew Wright finished with a double-double of 18 markers and 11 rebounds, while Jason Perkins made 13.
The Fuel Masters started the match on fire, as they posted an overwhelming 23-9 lead after the first 12 minutes. But the Bolts slowly fought back, and they knocked within just four, 60-64, after three quarters.
The Orangemen eventually gained the upper hand, as they opened the fourth chapter with a 10-2 scoring spree – capped by a Chris Newsome three-point play – en route to a 70-66 cushion with less than nine minutes remaining.
That set up the nip-and-tuck battle between the two teams. Phoenix managed to regain the lead, 83-81, with 54 seconds remaining, but Ranidel De Ocampo cleaned up Reynel Hugnatan’s miss to tie the game again with 34 seconds to go.
Wright had about five seconds to win the game, but he missed, extending the match another five minutes.
The Fuel Masters seized control early by posting an 87-83 lead, thanks to Abueva and Chua. The Bolts then made a 9-4 run – ended by a Newsome wing triple – to steal the lead once more, 92-91, with 11 seconds remaining.
And then Abueva’s heroics came into play with 4.1 ticks left to play. Newsome tried to his will his Meralco again, but his shot came way too late.
New Fuel Master Alex Mallari had 11 points and eight rebounds in the win. Veteran forward JC Intal filled up the stat sheet, collecting 16 rebounds, eight points, six assists, and a steal in nearly 32 minutes of playing time.
Nico Salva had a career-high of 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the loss. Newsome had 20 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while 15-year veteran De Ocampo supplied 10 markers and five boards off the bench.
Phoenix out-rebounded Meralco massively, 77-54.
Both teams will see action again on Saturday, January 19, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Meralco will raise the curtains of the weekend games as they face the Blackwater Elite at 4:30 PM, while Phoenix will battle the TNT KaTropa at 6:45 PM.
The Scores:
Phoenix 93 – Chua 24, Wright 18, Perkins 13, Mallari 11, Abueva 9, Intal 8, Marcelo 6, Kramer 2, Jazul 2, Revilla 0, Mendoza 0, Gamboa 0, Dennison 0.
Meralco 92 – Salva 22, Newsome 20, Amer 10, De Ocampo 10, Hugnatan 9, Hodge 8, Faundo 4, Pinto 3, Dillinger 2, Tolomia 2, Quinto 2, Jackson 0, Jamito 0, Canaleta 0, Caram 0.
Quarterscores: 23-9, 41-34, 64-60, 83-83, 93-92.
