MANILA, Philippines – Tyler Tio is a breath of fresh air for a struggling Phoenix squad that has been beset by injuries and outside distraction.

Tio submitted his finest PBA performance to date as the Fuel Masters broke through in the Commissioner’s Cup, earning himself the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period of October 5 to 9.

Drafted 14th overall, the rookie out of Ateneo posted career-highs of 26 points and 7 assists as Phoenix clinched a 111-97 win over erstwhile unbeaten NLEX.

Tio shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and scattered 18 points in the second half as he eclipsed his career-high in points for the second straight game after scoring 21 points in a loss to Bay Area.

Seeing Matthew Wright take his act to Japan, the Fuel Masters were welcomed by misfortune at the start of the conference when Jason Perkins got ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing a knee surgery.

Without two of its best players from last conference, Phoenix dropped its first three games.

Then came the news that a Batangas court issued notices of garnishments on the assets of Phoenix Petroleum over unpaid debt of the company owned by Dennis Uy.

But Tio and the Fuel Masters took care of business as they finally barged into the winning column.

“We just focused on what we can control as a team,” Tio said.

The unanimous choice, Tio beat out teammate Javee Mocon, Barangay Ginebra’s Jamie Malonzo and Magnolia’s Calvin Abueva for the weekly honor being handed out by the group covering the PBA beat.

Other players nominated were Blackwater’s Baser Amer, Mike Ayonayon, and Troy Rosario, Magnolia’s Paul Lee, Meralco’s Allein Maliksi, Bong Quinto, and Aaron Black, Ginebra’s Christian Standhardinger and Scottie Thompson, TNT’s RR Pogoy, and San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez. – Rappler.com