Push Admin

PBA: Phoenix tops GlobalPort to stay alive, spoil Terrence Romeo debut

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

Matthew Wright scored 32 points, and Phoenix weathered a second-half rally by GlobalPort to win 104-100 in the PBA Philippine Cup at Araneta Coliseum on Friday.With the win, Phoenix raised its record to 5-6 and will at least qualify for a play-in game, depending on the result of the second game between Barangay Ginebra and Rain Or Shine.&quot;At least we have another day to live. Sarado pa naman ang Boracay ngayon, wala kaming babakasyunan,&quot; Phoenix coach Louie Alas said. &quot;At least may chance pa. Palakasan na lang ng desire.&quot;Phoenix stormed out of the gates, erecting a 16-point lead after the first quarter and going up by as many as 31, 66-35, to start the second half on Wright&#x27;s 3-pointer.With Phoenix&#x27;s big men being in foul trouble and its shooters missing, GlobalPort started to chip away at the deficit.A split from the free-throw line by Stanley Pringle narrowed the gap to single digits, 99-90, with 3:30 left, before a layup by Terrence Romeo made it 102-98 26 seconds remaining.But after a free throw by Jeff Chan, GlobalPort couldn&#x27;t make a shot in its next possession, thus securing the win for Phoenix.GlobalPort secured a spot in the quarterfinals but awaits which seed it falls to.For Alas, Phoenix losing big leads has been a trend this conference.&quot;Di kami matututo. This is the fourth time, fifth time. Kung di malaki lead namin, baka nandoon kami sa kabilang side,&quot; Alas said, referring to his team&#x27;s possible elimination.&quot;We&#x27;re up by 28 . . . hindi ko sinabi sa kanila until &#x27;yung lead namin 12 points na lang. Parang na-pressure pa ata, masyadong nag-protect ng lead . . . Siguro kelangan pa namin ng mga ganitong games para matuto kami.&quot;The loss spoiled Romeo&#x27;s debut after missing the first 10 games of the conference because of a knee injury. He finished with team-high 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting coming off the bench.Stanley Pringle added 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals for GlobalPort, which shot an atrocious 5 of 35 from 3-pointer territory, good for just 14%.<div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</div>

Matthew Wright scored 32 points, and Phoenix weathered a second-half rally by GlobalPort to win 104-100 in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday.

Matthew Wright scored 32 points, and Phoenix weathered a second-half rally by GlobalPort to win 104-100 in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday.