Down by as many as 20 points in the first half, the Phoenix Petroleum Phoenix Masters completed a come-from-behind, 100-94 win to give the Mahindra Enforcers their first loss of the 2016 PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on a rainy Friday evening.
Eugene Phelps led Phoenix with 24 points and 21 rebounds, eight of which came from the offensive end. Cyrus Baguio contributed 20 points in his best game as a Fuel Master.
“Medyo naga-adjust pa ako nung unang lipat pero sa ngayon kailangan talaga magpa-kondisyon kasi minutes ko mataas,” Baguio said. “Buti na lang panalo kami ngayon at di kami nag give up.”
Mahindra led by as many as 20 points in the first half, 34-14. However, a 30-11 blast, powered by Baguio’s aggressiveness, trimmed the lead down to a point during the break.
A closely-contested second half was up for grabs, and saw Phoenix once again trailing by eight, 78-70, during the first part of the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Fuel Masters, another massive run down the stretch propelled them to take an 87-84 lead via Baguio, Phelps and Mark Borboran.
Borboran scored 11 of his 13 points off the bench in the closing period, including a pivotal continuation play after a three-pointer and a flagrant foul called on Aldrech Ramos for stepping in the former’s landing spot. On the flip side, Mahindra saw their winning streak vanish, as they failed to convert their last two possessions.
Coach Ariel Vanguardia admitted he felt he had given his team some pressure, but was thrilled with the way his boys fought back in the match.
“I screwed up in the first half and I tried to pressure my guys na kung di natin mapatunayan na kaya nating manalo, we cannot be in this team.” he said.
“But I like to test it and good thing the veterans kept us together kung pano i-face ung pressure.”
Phoenix converted 12/33 shots from beyond-the-arc, which was nine more compared to Mahindra’s 3/17 subpar shooting. Moreover, they made more assists and points in transition, at 23-12 and 15-9 respectively.
James White led Mahindra in the losing effort with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 turnovers. Ramos chipped in 18 points and eight boards.
Mahindra (4-1) look to get back on the winning track against the skidding NLEX Road Warriors (1-3) on Wednesday, 4:15pm, on August 17 at the Big Dome. Meanwhile, Phoenix (2-3) seek to reach the .500 mark against the now only-undefeated squad, TNT KaTropa (4-0) on Friday next week at Ynares, Antipolo.
The Scores:
Phoenix (100) – Phelps 23, Baguio 22, Hee 13, Borboran 13, Cruz 6, Caperal 5, Lanete 5, Torres 4, Enciso 3, Buenafe 3, Wilson J. 2, Wilson W. 1, Pennisi 0
Mahindra (94) – White 24, Ramos 18, Taha 13, Canaleta 10, Digregorio 7, Agovida 6, Yee 4, Jaime 4, Guinto 2, Aguilar 2, Webb 2, Mashaddy 0, Elorde 0
Quarterscores: 13-24, 44-45, 68-71, 100-94
