Phoenix’s Matthew Wright. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—For Phoenix head coach Topex Robinson, that brief moment was pure magic.
Matthew Wright drained arguably the biggest shot in franchise history with his clutch triple sending the Fuel Masters to an 89-88 win over Magnolia to advance to the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals Saturday at Angeles University Foundation.
With the shot clock winding down, Wright drilled a one-legged runner from the left wing over Mark Barroca with 9.8 seconds left that finalized Phoenix’ trip to the penultimate round.
“That shot was magical,” expressed Robinson who took over the Fuel Masters at the beginning of the season. “It’s just magical for us, so blessed to be here and to grind it out against one of the best teams, one of the best coached teams.”
Paul Lee bucket is no good.
Final count is 89-88.@fuelmasters are going to the #PBAbubble semifinals! #PBAbubbleXInquirer@sonrdINQ pic.twitter.com/DjlIoWXWP2
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) November 14, 2020
“We thank them for giving us a good experience as we go along the semifinals.”
An entertaining fourth quarter nearly turned stale as both teams failed to connect in the final two minutes of the game before Wright hit that gutsy triple.
Magnolia held a five-point lead, 82-77, midway through the period but Phoenix mounted a 7-0 run to take an 84-82 lead with 3:57 to play.
It then turned into a tit-for-tat affair until the 2:05 mark when Ian Sangalang nailed a jumper for Magnolia’s 88-86 lead.
🎥 MATTHEW. ANDREW. CRISTOPHER. WRIGHT.
MY GOODNESS.
89-88 Phoenix | 4Q 9.8#PBATuloyAngLaban #PBAQuarters pic.twitter.com/bKyv3tb3En
— PBA (@pbaconnect) November 14, 2020
Paul Lee tried to give the Hotshots the win but his stepback jumper from the left elbow fell short as the clock expired with Calvin Abueva holding on to the ball for dear life.
Wright finished with 32 points, five rebounds, and nine assists while coming off the bench for the Fuel Masters while Jason Perkins added 16 points and six boards.
Lee put up 17 points, five rebounds, and six assists to lead Magnolia.