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| Jason Perkins came alive anew to lift Phoenix out of its slump. PBA Images |
MANILA––Phoenix showed an early glimpse of what to expect from its youthful roster for next season's PBA wars after scorching NorthPort, 118-107, in a Philippine Cup game on Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
In a showdown between teams already out of playoff contention, the Fuel Masters went full zoom in the fourth quarter, dropping 36 points on the Batang Pier to pull away for good.
Jason Perkins led Phoenix, which snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 3-7, with 26 points on 10-for-19 field goals and 4-of-7 on threes, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Kai Ballungay added 17 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one block.
Joshua Munzon put up 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 4-for-9 on triples, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block for NorthPort, which further dropped to 1-8.
Calvin Abueva finally made his debut as a Batang Pier after missing their previous game against the TNT Tropang 5G and delivered 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
However, his vintage game went to naught as NorthPort continues to struggle amid speculations of a firesale after letting go of key players Arvin Tolentino and William Navarro last week.
The Scores:
PHOENIX 118 – Perkins 26, Ballungay 17, Tuffin 14, Rivero 14, Jazul 10, Tio 9, Verano 8, Garcia 5, Soyud 4, Cullar 4, Manganti 3, Ular 2, Camacho 2, Daves 0, Alejandro 0
NORTHPORT 107 – Munzon 32, Abueva 18, Cuntapay 15, Flores 9, Bulanadi 8, Jalalon 7, Nava 6, Balanza 4, Taha 3, Kwekuteye 2, Yu 2, Nelle 0, Onwubere 0
QUARTERS: 30-28, 56-51, 82-80, 118-107
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