Fuel Masters squeak past Bolts

MANILA, Philippines -- The Phoenix Fuel Masters pulled off all the stops to escape the Meralco Bolts, 98-97, in their PBA Governors’ Cup skirmish Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Trailing by three, 94-97, in the final 1:19 of the game, Phoenix dug deep and hit timely free throws and made defensive stops to grind out the win. 

“We just keep talking about being locked in, just getting stops. We kept reminding them, you know, this is almost a lucky break,” Fuel Masters head coach Charles Tiu said. 

“We caught that Meralco did not have their import. We didn't want to let it slip away. You know, give credit to them, though. They played really well. They easily could have won this game. But we give credit to the guys,” he added. 

Robert Johnson III paced the Fuel Masters with 26 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Ricci Rivero added 20 markers, six boards and five dimes, while Ken Tuffin had 17 points. 

With Meralco playing all-Filipino, the Bolts fell behind by as much as 15 points in the second quarter. 

But the squad stormed back and took the lead at the half, 56-50. 

The game then turned into a nip-and-tuck game as both teams traded leads. 

Phoenix led by three, 94-91, with 4:29 remaining after a deuce by Rivero. 

CJ Cansino, Cliff Hodge and Brandon Bates teamed up and grabbed a 97-94 lead with 1:19 left. 

A split from the line by Tuffin made it a two point game, 95-97, before JL delos Santos stopped Chris Newsome on the other end, which led to another split from the charity stripe for Johnson, to make it a one point deficit, 96-97, with about 36 seconds to go. 

On the other end, Chris Newsome was blocked by JL delos Santos on the layup. Tuffin was then sent to the line and hit the go-ahead free throws to push his team ahead, 98-97. 

And with time winding down, Meralco went to CJ Cansino, who tried to win it with a layup, but his shot was too strong. 

“I put JL De Los Santos for some defensive stops and he got two crucial stops for us. The guys locked in when it mattered,” Tiu said. 

“Not our best game, obviously. We had too many turnovers. I don't think we were that much in sync. But we played a really good team that's always been a contender. So it's nice to get that win.” 

Jason Perkins provided solid support with 13 points and six rebounds in the win. 

Cansino powered Meralco with 18 points, three rebounds and three steals, while Allein Maliksi provided the spark with 16 markers off the bench.