Passing first test

Matthew Wright against Blackwater defenders. PBA IMAGES

Two teams made their tournament debuts in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday night, but only one ended up satisfied with the result.

Phoenix Pulse coach Louie Alas, in fact, seemed pretty amazed at how his team held off a young and pesky Blackwater side, 103-98, at Mall of Asia Arena.

“I was looking at the stat sheet and we nearly did everything we had hoped to do,” Alas said.

The Fuel Masters were the No. 1 team at the end of the elimination round of the Philippine Cup but lost in a semifinal duel with eventual champion San Miguel Beer.

The No. 2 team at the end of the same round then was Rain or Shine, which lost to eventual all-Filipino runner-up Magnolia also in the semifinals.

Unlike the Fuel Masters, though, the Elasto Painters didn’t get the midseason conference debut they wanted after dropping a 91-84 to steady Meralco in the second game.

The Bolts leaned on a strong third quarter to seize control of the game and not even the 31-point output of Rain or Shine import Denzel Bowles could alter the outcome.

Matthew Wright scored a team-best 22 points for Phoenix, 16 of which came in the third period, where he lit the wick of a strong breakaway for the Fuel Masters, who also exploited the sudden absence of leadership on the Elite’s bench.

Former best import Rob Dozier and Jason Perkins then took charge in the final period, holding off repeated rallies by Blackwater there.

“I expected it,” Alas said when asked about Blackwater’s rally down the stretch. “They’re not 3-0 for nothing. They worked for it. They’re deep. They have three marquee players for nearly every position.”

Blackwater, which lost for the first time in four games, kept it close for two quarters before losing momentum when coach Aris Dimaunahan was ejected for flagrant misconduct.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra has picked up veteran Jared Dillinger after the former national team standout was dropped to the unrestricted free agent pool by Meralco.