Phoenix Petroleum gunner Matthew Wright thought of sitting out the game due to a tender knee.
But he felt good after the warm-up, and he felt good with his shooting, so much so that he went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to highlight his key contribution in their 96-86 win over Meralco in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
"Before the game, medyo uneasy kami kasi lumapit si Matt, saying he might not play because of his knee. But after a while, lumapit na naman at okay na daw siya," said Phoenix coach Louie Alas.
"I have to give credit to Matt, kahit may nararamdamam, kahit pagod sa byahe, pagod sa laro, he came out to help us win the game," Alas also said.
Wright proved among the lethal forces for the Fuel Masters as they pulled off their first win over the Bolts in import-laden tourneys.
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"Sabi ni Eugene Phelps he's not part of the team na hindi pa nanalo sa Meralco. At trumabaho ng husto para hindi matalo sa game na ito," said Alas.
Phoenix opened a 16-point lead on a decisive 11-to-nothing run in the third period and stayed in control until the end to move up to solo fourth place at 4-1.
Phelps, Wright and Calvin Abueva fueled Phoenix's third-quarter breakaway from which Meralco failed to recover, thus, dropping deeper down the leaderboard at 1-3.
Phelps delivered 24 points and 19 rebounds, Abueva collected 16 markers and eight boards while Wright, fresh from his return stint with the national team against Qatar, put in 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Jason Perkins was a fourth Phoenix player to finish in double figures with 13 points that went with six rebounds and three assists.
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Reigning back-to-back Best Import winner Allen Durham was held to 16 points although he narrowly missed a triple-double job with 12 rebounds and nine assists.
"Good win for us considering ang dami naming breaks during the PBA break because of injuries," said Alas. "I have to give it to Calvin and RJ (Jazul), their leadership. They kept on talking to the team. Sabi nila five-on-five ang basketball. Kahit lima lang ang matira sa atin, laban tayo."
They did wage a tough fight to score a followup on their 112-82 win over TNT KaTropa in their most recent outing on Aug. 31. (SB)
The scores:
Phoenix 96 - Phelps 24, Abueva 16, Wright 16, Perkins 13, Chua 9, Revilla 8, Intal 6, Jazul 4, Wilson 0, Mendoza 0.
Meralco 86 - Newsome 18, Durham 16, Lanete 11, Hugnatan 10, Jamito 8, Caram 7, Salva 6, Amer 5, Sedurifa 3, Hodge 2, Canaleta 0, Atkins 0, Faundo 0.
Quarters: 21-22, 47-42, 74-63, 96-86.
