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MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix Super LPG used a collective effort on Saturday to build a big cushion that proved to be the safety net it needed to beat Terrafirma, 125-100, at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The Fuel Masters pulled away in the frame and then held on even despite the ejection of Du’Vaughn Maxwell to notch their second win and improve to 2-5 in the Governors’ Cup.
Maxwell, who was kicked out of the game for an unsportsmanlike foul, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Perkins, meanwhile, chipped in 14 more to lead four other locals who also finished in double digits.
“It was unfortunate that he was called with his second technical so he had to be ejected. But what he did in the first half actually was what helped us have that lead, so when we lost him in the third quarter, everybody stepped up. That’s always our mentality, the next man up. Everybody did well, the bench contributed, so we got the win after 48 minutes,” said coach Jamike Jarin, whose charges—despite of their lowly record—remain in contention for a spot in the playoffs.
“[This is] big. It’s wins and losses, and we had one win before this game, so this one is huge going into the postseason. But it was good. We had good practices this week and this game was just the fruits of our labor,” added Perkins.
Juami Tiongson had 27 points while Alex Cabagnot and Eric Camson added at least 15 each for the Dyip, who dropped to 2-5.
Up next for Phoenix is Converge, which is curently enjoying a comfortable spot in the top half of the race.
On tap for Terrafirma, meanwhile, is winless NorthPort.
The Scores:
Phoenix (125) — Maxwell 20, Perkins 14, Mocon 13, Serrano 12, Garcia 11, Manganti 10, Lojera 9, Camacho 8, Adamos 6, Muyang 5, Alejandro 5, Tio 5, Lalata 4, Jazul 4, Soyud 0, Go 0.
Terrafirma (100) — Tiongson 27, Cabagnot 16, Camson 15, Williams 14, Gomez de Liano 6, Alolino 5, Cahilig 5, Mina 4, Daquioag 3, Ramos 3, Gabayni 2, Grospe 0, Calvo 0.
Quarters: 29-24, 64-45, 94-69, 125-100.