The Star Hotshots continue to have the Phoenix Fuel Masters’ number.
Star Hotshots relied on a late third quarter surge to trounce Phoenix Fuel Masters, 114-83, and take a 1-0 series lead in their 2017 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series, Saturday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
It was yet another masterful showing of Star over Phoenix, as it can be remembered that the Hotshots once thrashed the Fuel Masters by a whopping 44 markers, 123-79, last December 10, 2016.
With the leverage they have earned in tonight’s rousing victory, Star now has the opportunity to sweep the series on Monday, February 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Five Hotshots scored in double figures to lead Star with Marc Pingris posting a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds..
Paul Lee finished with 22 points on a 7-of-12 clip to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Ian Sangalang added 17 by shooting 5-of-7 from the floor.
“I was frustrated with our first half,” rued Star coach Chito Victolero on the team’s slow start.
“When [Matthew] Wright got hot, na-frustrate kami and naapektuhan defense namin. Pati ball movement namin affected,” he added, pointing out the 14-point first half by Wright, who finished with 19 markers on 6-of-20 shooting.
The first 24 minutes was a tight affair for both teams, but the game’s complexity changed late in the third canto. From a slim 67-63 gap in favor of Star, the latter then zoomed to 15 straight points capped by two Mark Barroca charities to close out the frame with an 82-64 lead.
“I talked to the team nung halftime and told them to do the little things. Paul and my veterans were very vocal. We started on defense and they only scored 39 points in the second half,” the first-year Star mentor said.
Star’s defense proved to be stifling especially in the final canto, limiting Phoenix to produce just 16 points in that span. As a result, Star posted the game’s widest gap at 35, 110-73, after a Rodney Brondial putback with 1:55 remaining.
Justin Melton supplied 12 markers highlighted by two triples, while Allein Maliksi only produced 11.
The one-sided victory comes after Star’s two straight wins — against Blackwater and Meralco — in form of routs. And for Victolero, he believes that his wards are peaking at the most opportune time at this stretch of the conference.
“Yes we are peaking at the right time. New system and it takes times. Now, nagkakaroon na kami na kami ng chemistry. But we can’t stop, we need to have the desire to win,” said Victolero.
In terms of collective effort, Star was clearly the better team. The Hotshots shot 46 percent by hitting 36 of their 79 tries, 10 percent below of Phoenix’s 36 percent clip. They also won the rebounding battle, 59-40.
Their defense, on the other hand, pushed Phoenix to commit 18 turnovers, which were converted to 26 turnover points. They also limited Phoenix to just 15 second chance points, a far cry from their production of 26.
Phoenix received two more offensive contributions in Cyrus Baguio and newest pick-up Karl Dehesa, who scored 12 and 10 points respectively. Both guards shot a combined 8-of-14 from the floor.
The Scores:
Star (114) – Lee 22, Sangalang 17, Melton 12, Maliksi 11, Pingris 10, Ramos 9, Jalalon 9, Reavis 7, Javier 4, Barroca 4, Dela Rosa 3, De Leon 2, Abundo 2, Brondial 2.
Phoenix (83) – Wright 19, Baguio 12, Dehesa 10, Intal 9, Kramer 9, Borboran 7, Alolino 8, Caperal 3, Enciso 2, Torres 2, W. Wilson 2, Hayes 0, Lanete 0.
Quarterscores: 22-15, 51-45, 82-64, 114-83.
