MANILA, Philippines – The Star Hotshots rallied from a 20-point second half deficit but were unable to complete the comeback and ended up suffering another loss against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 106-93, on Friday, September 2, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Star, losers of 4 straight, dropped to 1-7 in the Governors’ Cup standings and fell behind even more in the race for one of the 8 available playoff spots. Phoenix, on the other hand, improved to 4-4 and moved a win away of clinching a postseason berth.
Import Eugene Phelps led Phoenix again with another explosive performance: 45 points on 17-of-29 shooting and 17 rebounds. Cyrus Baguio and Ronjay Buenafe each pitched in 11 points.
Star was led by the 29 points and 11 boards of import Joel Wright. Mark Barroca scored 12 points.
By going with a smaller line-up, Star cut Phoenix’s 77-57 lead to one in the fourth period with a 19-0 rally. Baguio scored a pair of baskets to keep his team ahead, and the Fuel Masters eventually pulled away after Simon Enciso hit a triple with 3:57 left to make it a 95-88 game.
An emphatic, two-handed jam by Phelps with 1:25 remaining gave his team a 10-point lead, essentially sealing the win.
Scores:
Phoenix (106): Phelps 45, Wilson W. 13, Baguio 11, Buenafe 11, Lee 8, Cruz 6, Lanete 4, Enciso 3, Urbiztondo 3, Miranda 2, Borboran 0, Caperal 0, Torres 0, Wilson J. 0
Star (93): Wright 29, Barroca 12, Simon 11, Sangalang 8, Garcia 7, Yap 7, Maliksi 5, Brondial 4, Mallari 4, Melton 2, Pascual 2, Pingris 2, Reavis 0
Quarter scores: 32-19, 56-47, 77-72, 106-93– Rappler.com