Phoenix swingman Matthew Wright goes for a shot during a game against TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Matthew Wright came up big on both ends to push Phoenix past TNT, 93-92, in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday at Araneta Coliseum.
With the Fuel Masters down one, Wright stole the ball from Tropang Giga guard Jayson Castro before converting on the go-ahead layup on the other end with 1.3 seconds left.
“There were a lot of things that happened to our team, but I guess we just stayed the course,” said Phoenix head coach Topex Robinson, whose squad lost guard Chris Banchero to free agency.”
“We focused on the things that we need to focus on and played our hearts out against a strong team like TNT.”
Wright finished with a game-high 27 points that went with four rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
TNT had a chance to salvage a win but a Jason Perkins block on Troy Rosario denied the Tropang Giga’s last-second attempt.
“It’s always gonna be everybody helping each other out. Our regular scorers might struggle a bit but whoever has a chance to contribute in any way that they can, especially defensively, that’s really much appreciated on this team,” said Robinson.
RJ Jazul added 16 points off the bench for the Fuel Masters, who improved to 4-2.
Dominique Sutton, who replaced the injured Paul Harris, had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in his debut for Phoenix.
Mikey Williams scored 22 points while Aaron Fuller had 11 points and 23 rebounds for TNT, which lost two in a row for a 2-4 record.