Eugene Phelps was pretty cool Wednesday night but wasn't cool enough in dealing with the Columbian Dyip.
Sporting a multi-colored Gucci headband and taking one-handed free throws, Phelps put together a statline of 50 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocks to help the Phoenix Fuel Masters defeat the hard-fighting Dyip, 113-107, Wednesday night in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Phelps said his outfit brought positive vibes.
"That's my drift, drift means swag. So my drift is hell of a high right now," he said. "The Gucci band helped me out."
It marked the third time that Phelps scored at least 50 points in the opening game of a conference. His last came in last season's Commissioner's Cup when he dropped 53 points to go along with his 21 rebounds as Phoenix defeated Blackwater, 118-116, in double overtime.
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He also scored 52 points in his first-ever PBA game during the 2016 Governors' Cup when Phoenix clobbered GlobalPort, 120-107, despite a busted lip.
Phelps hopes Wednesday's success would translate into more victories for Phoenix, which aims to make the playoffs of the season-ending tournament after two early exits in the previous two conferences.
"We just gotta play our game. I feel like we can probably go to the semis, maybe even the Finals. We'll see how it goes," he said.(JT)
