Strong finish

Phoenix forward Jason Perkins celebrates after making the go-ahead triple to beat Magnolia. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Jason Perkins hit a three-pointer with six seconds remaining and Phoenix forged a heart-stopping 89-87 victory over Magnolia on Wednesday night in the PBA Philippine Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Perkins worked his shot from the baseline in front of the Fuel Masters’ bench after getting a pass from Matthew Wright, who also hit a huge triple two plays earlier to help Phoenix rise from 17 points down to an 8-1 record.

The win also nudged the Fuel Masters closer to a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

“I’ve said this before, these are the victories that we like—the ones that show character,” Phoenix coach Louie Alas said.

Magnolia, which got its hopes up this conference after ending a three-game slide recently, crashed to a 1-4 slate. And the last sequences of the match were emblematic of the Hotshots’ run this conference.

Wright hit a basket that gave Phoenix an 85-84 lead, but Paul Lee pushed Magnolia back up with a clutch three-point play with 33 seconds remaining.

But Perkins countered with his triple and, after a free throw that iced scoring, the Fuel Masters forced the Hotshots to a prayer of a shot at the buzzer to seal the victory. And that stop didn’t escape Alas’ attention.

“After all, it’s how you finish,” Alas said.

Calvin Abueva kept Phoenix in the game through several Magnolia efforts to run away with the win. He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the Fuel Masters.

Meanwhile, Columbian bucked a lethargic start to frustrate Rain or Shine, 85-82, and reassert its mastery over currently the second-best team in the conference.

Rashawn McCarthy had 22 points and five rebounds while going 5-for-9 from deep in the franchise’s fourth straight victory over the Elasto Painters in as many conferences.

“We had a bad start in the first quarter. I told the boys to regroup in the second. We wanted to start on defense, and fortunately the players responded,” Columbian coach Johnedel Cardel said.

The Dyip took a while before losing the chasing Elasto Painters, who tailed Columbian through the efforts of big man Mark Borboran.

But with a shot to make the playoffs still within reach, the young Columbian squad kept its distance as Jackson Corpuz and Reden Celda came through for the Dyip when it mattered.

“After losing to Blackwater, we had to bounce back. I told the guys … we’ll be needing these next three games, but we wanted to take it one game at a time,” Cardel said.

The Dyip moved to 4-5 while the Painters dropped to 7-3.