Phoenix holds on as Ginebra comeback fizzles

Ginebra Gin Kings vs Phoenix Fuel Masters. PBA IMAGES

Barangay Ginebra’s comeback effort fell short as Phoenix held on to the 87-82 victory Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Gin Kings went on a blazing 18-6 run in the final 6:33 after falling behind 81-64, but it just wasn’t enough as the Phoenix had a big enough cushion to subdue the “never say die” spirit.

“It’s a good thing we were able to build a big enough lead,” said Phoenix head coach Louie Alas in Filipino. “I think we were almost too cautious of the lead and that’s the difficult part in a team where you’re still trying to build that winning habit.”

Ginebra outscored Phoenix, 29-12, in the payoff period but the Fuel Masters’ lead, which was at 75-53 at the end of third quarter,  proved insurmountable.

The Fuel Masters snapped a two-game slide for a 3-3 card while sending the Gin Kings reeling to their third straight setback a t2-3 .

After slipping to a 26-25 midway through the second quarter, the Fuel Masters pushed the nitrous button and went wild on a 24-3 dash with Willie Wilson scoring six straight to cap it off and give Phoenix a 49-29 lead at halftime.

Wilson, Matthew Wright, and Jeff Chan each had 19 points to lead the Fuel Masters while Jason Perkins added 12 points.

Scottie Thompson led all scorers with 22 points for theGin Kings to go along 13 rebounds.