Jason Perkins did it on both ends of the floor to help the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters come back from 17 down and beat the Magnolia Hotshots, 89-87, in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday at SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The sophomore forward sank a corner trey with 19.1 seconds left to give his side a one-point lead. He then stripped the ball away from a driving Paul Lee and split his charities with 6.3 seconds left to play to seal the victory.
Perkins finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in the win that improved Phoenix’s card to 8-1 and sent them to the top of the team standings.
“Grind-out,” exhaled Fuel Masters head coach Louie Alas. “Sinabi ko na ‘to dati: ito yung gustong-gusto ko na panalo, yung may character … Hindi kami nag-panic, and we were able to execute the play that we drew up.
“Sana yung character namin ma-sustain,” he added.
Calvin Abueva set the pace for the Fuel Masters with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists with two steals. RJ Jazul fired 19 points, while Matthew Wright finished with 14 markers, six dimes, and five boards.
Many expected Phoenix to roll over when they went down by 17, 24-41, in the second frame. But they fought back afterward and finally tasted the lead, 85-84, after Matthew Wright made six straight points with 47.6 seconds left in the game.
Paul Lee then completed a three-point play on the other side to return the lead to Magnolia, 87-85, with 33.4 seconds remaining.
The Fuel Masters, however, rallied once more. With the Hotshots’ defense clamping down on Wright, the Fil-Canadian guard located a flaring Perkins on the right corner. Perkins went on to sink the go-ahead trey.
“Kay Matt talaga yung play. But alam kong ide-deny na si Matt. So I told … Jason, give him a flare screen. They’re going to follow RJ, you might be open there. Kay Matt talaga yung play, kasama lang siya sa option,” said Alas.
The La Salle product then proved to be clutch on defense, too, as he cleanly stripped the ball away from an attacking Lee with eight ticks left. Perkins was fouled after, and he split his shots from the line to make it a two-point game.
Phoenix pressured Magnolia to prevent the latter from setting up a basket, and they were successful.
Lee and Mark Barroca had 16 points apiece to lead Magnolia, who failed to sustain the 92-86 victory they collected versus the Meralco Bolts last Saturday in Cagayan de Oro City. Jio Jalalon had 11 markers and nine assists.
Phoenix will next battle the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday, March 10 still at the Big Dome. Meanwhile, Magnolia will look to bounce back versus the Alaska Aces on Saturday, March 9, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
The Scores:
Phoenix 89 – Abueva 24, Jazul 19, Wright 14, Perkins 12, Mallari 8, Chua 6, Kramer 4, Dennison 2, Revilla 0, Mendoza 0, Marcelo 0.
Magnolia 87 – Lee 16, Barroca 16, Jalalon 11, Sangalang 10, Dela Rosa 10, Reavis 7, Brondial 6, Gamalinda 4, Ramos 3, Melton 2, Herndon 2.
Quarterscores: 13-17, 39-44, 63-69, 89-87.
