FULL TANK: Phoenix downs Meralco, 109-97

Phoenix came out hunting for its first win on a full tank and yielded a positive result, zooming past a stunned defending champion Meralco in a 109–97 blowout in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Sunday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Jason Perkins’ presence brought a world of difference for the Fuel Masters as they barged into the win column after a third try in the season-ending conference.

The veteran forward made an instant impact in his tournament debut after recovering from the flu, which had him grounded for two games, scoring 19 points and grabbing five rebounds for Phoenix.

“This is the first time we’re playing with a full lineup. In our first two games, we had a couple of players missing in Ato Ular and Jason. Now we’re playing a full lineup,” Fuel Masters head coach Jamike Jarin said.

“Jason is a very good player and even more as a person. He brings a lot to the team. He plays the big, he plays the perimeter, he plays defense. He’s just an overall player and we’re just happy he’s playing and he’s with us,” Jarin added.

Tyler Tio led the way with 22 points and six assists while Ricci Rivero showed his sniping prowess with a perfect 4-of-4 from the three-point area to end up with 20 points for the Fuel Masters. Big man Kai Ballungay chipped in 11 points and eight boards.

Phoenix trailed by three to start the opening period before unleashing a 29-8 blitz to end the quarter and eventually take full control of the match.

The Fuel Masters finally shot better from the three-point area, connecting an efficient 9-of-18 triples after a woeful combined six made out of 55 trey attempts in the first two games.

The Bolts had a power surge in the third canto, cutting their deficit to just 12 after entering the second half behind by 21 points.

But the Fuel Masters checked Meralco’s uprising with a blazing counterattack to open a 26-point gap, 90-64, off a pair of charities from Ballungay with 1:14 left in the third period.

Meralco had one last push to trim it to just an 11-point deficit, 107-96, after Janse Rios hit a four-pointer with 1:12 remaining in the game, but it came a little too late.

The Bolts suffered their second straight defeat after winning their first two assignments.

Chris Newsome had 18 points before fouling out with two minutes left in the game for Meralco.

Bong Quinto added 17 points, Aaron Black got 12 points, nine assists and four rebounds while Raymar Jose saw his double-double of 12 points and 17 boards wasted. CJ Cansino and Raymond Almazan finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bolts.