Perkins drops 28 as Phoenix cruises past Terrafirma

Jason Perkins came up big for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters as they crushed the Terrafirma Dyip, 96-84, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga on Thursday, September 9.

Perkins finished the game with 28 points, along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists as the Fuel Masters returned to their winning ways and improved to 3-5 in the standings.

“They beat San Miguel, they beat Ginebra, they beat Blackwater. That means they’re really here on a mission,” said Phoenix coach Topex Robinson of Terrafirma.

“We just respected the team (Terrafirma). We know that if we’re not going to give our basketball, that’s a recipe for a loss for us,” he added.

Coming off a disappointing 18-point loss to the NLEX Road Warriors, the Fuel Masters wasted little time in taking control as they built a 12-point advantage, 15-3, early in the opening period.

The Dyip, however, managed to crawl back and momentarily held the lead, 42-41, after a Reden Celda layup with 2:57 remaining in the first half.

Leading by only a point, 48-47, at halftime, the Fuel Masters went on another scorching run in the third frame to bring the lead back to double digits, 67-54.

It was all Fuel Masters from there on as they managed to extend the gap to as many 18 points, 90-72, off a Michael Calisaan basket with less than four minutes left in the ball game.

Vic Manuel added 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, while Matthew Wright, who struggled in the Fuel Masters’ previous two outings, had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in the victory.

Aldrech Ramos topscored for the Dyip with 13 points, while Joseph Gabayni, Eric Camson, and Roosevelt Adams put up 11 points apiece in the loss.

High-scoring guard Juami Tiongson, who was named the PBA Player of the Week, was limited to just 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting as the Dyip suffered their first loss in the league’s resumption in Pampanga and dropped to 3-5 in the standings – tied with the Fuel Masters.