Phoenix gave Charles Tiu a triumphant head coaching debut after gutting out a 101-98 victory over Magnolia in a thrilling start to their PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup campaign at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Friday night.
The Fuel Masters almost failed to do so when their 94-82 lead became just a field goal with under a minute left to play. But Evan Nelle and JC Cullar came through in the clutch to make sure that it won’t be a first game to forget.
Nelle banked in a crucial shot from point-blank off a strong drive, before Cullar split his foul shots to make it a two-possession lead at 101-96 with 8.7 seconds remaining — a gap that proved enough for the crew to leave with the W.
(C) PBA Images
“Really waiting for the game to finish,” exhaled Tiu, smiling. “Sabi ko, can the game end in the first quarter? When we were up. And then we were up in the fourth, I’m like, man, I knew they were gonna make a run.”
“Lucky enough, we made some stops down the stretch,” the 37-year-old furthered. “The zone really slowed us down, but credit to the players. They made plays, and they got the stops just enough for us to escape with the win.”
Six players finished in double figures in the win, with James Dickey III leading the pack with 20 points and 26 rebounds alongside five rebounds.
Jason Perkins supplied 19 points. Kai Ballungay and Kenneth Tuffin came through with 12 points apiece and combined for 13 rebounds.
Nelle and Ricci Rivero chipped in 10 markers apiece for the Fuel Masters.
“We just told them we want to try to compete and win every game,” Tiu said. “I think we have a good enough squad to compete in the PBA.”
“Obviously, we’re not a powerhouse team like all the other top teams. But kami, we just want to try to give ourselves a chance. We want to battle, and we have to make sure our effort is there every game,” he added.
Phoenix will look to continue its winning ways under the new leadership when it takes on the 0-1 Titan Ultra this Sunday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
(C) PBA Images
The loss, however, spoiled the PBA debut of Nuni Omot, who finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and three assists to lead Magnolia.
The South Sudanese star struggled timing-wise and shot just 11-of-23 from the field. It was understandable, though, as he only came to Manila 48 hours ago and only had one practice with his new team prior to their conference opener.
Still, he played a key role in their comeback bid, joining with Zav Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa for the 14-2 blitz to trim their foes’ lead to 96-98.
But then, Nelle happened, and it didn’t help that Lastimosa’s decision to go for the tie didn’t pay off as his attempt from four missed the target.
Cullar then went 1-of-2 to widen the spread. Omot went for a quick two shortly after to trim the gap to three but the three seconds remaining in the game clearly weren’t enough for the Hotshots to muster one last hurrah.
Magnolia is set to see action this Sunday as well, versus an NLEX team that’s coming off a come-from-behind win against Blackwater earlier in the night.
The Scores:
Phoenix 101 – Dickey 20, Perkins 19, Ballungay 12, Rivero 10, Nelle 10, Tio 7, Santos 6, Escandor 2, Cullar 2, Caperal 0.
Magnolia 98 – Omot 27, Lucero 19, Lastimosa 18, Sangalang 8, Gomez de Liano 8, Andrada 7, Dela Rosa 4, Lee 4, Barroca 3, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 27-23, 48-50, 79-72, 101-98.
