IT didn’t take long for new Phoenix import Eugene Phelps to make his presence felt in an electrifying way.
In his debut, Phelps made sure everyone took notice of his abilities by scoring a season-high 52 points to go with 16 rebounds as he powered Phoenix to a 120-107 victory over struggling GlobalPort, finally putting the Fuel Masters in the win column of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Replacing an ineffective import, Phelps knew coming in that he needed to carry a heavy load to be able to lift the erstwhileailing Fuel Masters.
He surely was up to the task. “It felt good to score that many, but it felt better that we got the win,” said Phelps of his powerful debut and his team’s first victory.
Phoenix improved to 1-3, while the agony of the Batang Pier continued as it remained the only team without a victory, dropping to 0-4 at the cellar.
The win also gave rookie coach Ariel Vanguardia his first victory in the PBA.
Vanguardia had nothing but adoration for Phelps and what he brought to Phoenix.
“Malaking bagay ‘yung import namin,” he said. “He (Phelps) was the destroyer out there.”
Scoring 24 points right away just in the fi rst half alone, Phelps helped Phoenix take several 12-point leads in the second and a 58-53 cushion at the half as the Fuel Masters controlled most of the contest starting the opening period.
Phoenix was in tight grip of the contest until its prolific import was caught by an accident early in the second half. Phelps briefly went out of the game and into the locker room early in the third canto after accidentally getting elbowed by GlobalPort import Mike Glover in the jaw. He bled and lost a tooth, but returned later in the third to resume his dominating ways.
When Phelps was away, GlobalPort flourished.
The Batang Pier, who trailed 55-66 before Phelps went out, suddenly produced a swift 17-4 blast to overtake the Fuel Masters, 72-70, halfway in the third.
Phoenix though was able to steal the lead back and take a slim 86-65 edge into the payoff period.
A decisive 15-7 run down the stretch gave Phoenix the breakthrough it needed as it went ahead signifi cantly again, 113-04, after Phelps completed a three-point play with 2:14 remaining.
The Fuel Masters never looked back.
Phoenix’s other import, Lee Gwan Hee, likewise had a nice game himself, adding 16 points to help Phelps.
Glover and Stanley Pringle each had 27 points to lead the winless Batang Pier.
The scores:
PHOENIX 120 – Phelps 52, Lee 16, J. Wilson 15, W. Wilson 10, Baguio 9, Enciso 6, Pennisi 5, Lanete 4, Cruz 3, Buenafe 0, Caperal 0, Torres 0.
GLOBALPORT 107 – Glover 27, Pringle 27, Romeo 20, Yeo 14, Washington 13, Dehesa 4, Mamaril 2, Isip 0, Kramer 0, Semerad 0, Taha 0.
Quarters: 33-26, 58-53, 86-85, 120-107
Games Wednesday
(Araneta Coliseum)
4:15 p.m. – NLEX vs. TNT Katropa
7 p.m. – Alaska vs. Mahindra
