By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters returned to their winning ways in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup after a 93-83 beating of the Meralco Bolts at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday night, January 10.
Jason Perkins spearheaded the offense with 22 points, including four three-point conversions, to go with eight rebounds, while Johnathan Williams III added a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix.
Christian Tyler Tio also made his presence felt for the Fuel Masters with 15 markers, while Rafael Joey Jazul connected three outside shots to end up with 13 markers as they improved to an 8-2 record, securing a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.
The Fuel Masters were on fire early behind Williams, Tio and Javee Mocon as they built an 11-2 lead.
It grew further to 31-16 later in the first quarter behind conversions from Jazul and Perkins.
Phoenix maintained a 48-34 lead midway through the second quarter after three-pointers from Perkins and Ricci Rivero, but Meralco answered with their own run to cut the deficit to 47-54 at the half.
The Bolts went on to take the lead at 55-54 early in the third canto via a Chris Banchero basket, but the Fuel Masters relied on inside connections by Perkins and Williams to establish a 78-66 lead.
Meralco threatened to claw their way back several times in the final quarter, but Phoenix had their answers from Williams, Perkins and Tio to secure the victory.
Shonn Miller top-scored with 19 points. Banchero added 15 markers, while Chris Newsome and Kier John Quinto contributed 13 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Bolts, which dropped to a 7-3 record.
Meanwhile, the NLEX Road Warriors kept their quarterfinals hopes alive after a 107-103 victory over the Converge FiberXers.
The Road Warriors are now tied with the TNT Tropang Giga for eighth to ninth place with a 4-6 slate.
Deandre Williams-Baldwin made his Road Warriors debut with near triple-double numbers of 22 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, while rookie Enoch Valdez chipped in a career-high of 19 markers./ASC, WDJ
PHOENIX 93 — Perkins 22, Williams 19, Tio 15, Jazul 13, Tuffin 6, Mocon 5, Rivero 5, Alejandro 4, Verano 2, Manganti 2, Camacho 0, Soyud 0, Garcia 0.
MERALCO 83 — Miller 19, Banchero 15, Newsome 13, Quinto 10, Black 8, Almazan 8, Rios 5, Hodge 5, Pascual 0, Maliksi 0, Bates 0, Caram 0.
Quarterscores: 31-19, 54-47, 78-66, 93-83.