Blackwater regained some sense of pride by blasting Phoenix in a battle of also-ran teams, 102-83, for a rousing conclusion to its PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup campaign, Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Although both squads fought for pride only, the Bossing refused to go into what should be a busy offseason ahead with their heads bowed.
They turned things around in the fourth quarter to finally taste a win after losing seven in a row.
Blackwater finished the conference with a 4-7 record in beating the injury-riddled Fuel Masters, which wrapped up their campaign with a 3-8 card.
Jaydee Tungcab led the way with a career-high 19 points on a 5-of-9 clip from deep, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals without a turnover.
One of his triples helped spark a 12-0 run that turned a four-point deficit into a 77-69 Bossing advantage with 9:12 remaining in the final period. And that proved enough to swing momentum in their favor the rest of the way.
Troy Rosario registered a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds as he had a hand in that decisive blitz. Lead guard Rey Nambatac, on the other hand, produced 16 points on 50-percent shooting from the floor.
RK Ilagan and Bradwyn Guinto finished with 11 points apiece while Richard Escoto added 12 for Blackwater.
The Bossing finished the season with a 5-17 overall record and are projected to pick second in the 2024 Rookie Draft.
Meanwhile, Jason Perkins made 22 points while JJay Alejandro added 14 for Phoenix.
The Fuel Masters ended the tilt with three straight losses as it could not get its flow going in the conference due to manpower problems caused by injuries.
It lost main man Tyler Tio early in the all-Filipino meet due to ankle issues. It also didn’t help that some key pieces got hurt as well, making the team far from the one that went as far as the semifinals of the last Commissioner’s Cup.
The Fuel Masters finished Season 48 with an overall record of 13-15, and is seen to be owning the third overall selection in this year’s draft proceedings.
The Scores:
Blackwater 102 – Tungcab 19, Rosario 17, Nambatac 16, Guinto 11, Escoto 10, Hill 8, Casio 3, Chua 3, Suerte 2, Kwekuteye 2, David 0, Jopia 0.
Phoenix 83 – Perkins 22, Alejandro 14, Lalata 9, Tuffin 7, Mocon 7, Rivero 7, Camacho 6, Verano 6, Salado 3, Jazul 2, Garcia 0.
Quarterscores: 18-11, 30-36, 65-69, 102-83.
