MANILA — The Blackwater Elite brought down the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 99-91, in the PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night, their fourth win in six games that lifted them to solo second spot in the standings, just half a game behind the pace-setting San Miguel Beer (4-1). The victory marked a new milestone for the young franchise that has been the perennial league doormat since it joined the PBA in 2014. With four wins in their pocket with five games left to play in the elimination round, the Elite have already surpassed their previous franchise record of three wins in a conference. Once again, star rookie and top Gilas cadet Mac Belo showed the way for Blackwater, posting a team-high 20 points on top of six rebounds, and two steals. He nailed a perfect 11-for-11 on the free throw line. Nard Pinto added 15 points and six assists while Art Dela Cruz chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. GlobalPort dropped to 3-2, joining four other teams—Alaska, TNT, Rain or Shine and Star—in a tie for third to seventh place in the standings. Terrence Romeo top-scored for GlobalPort with 22 points but converted just six of 21 shots for a miserable 28 percent shooting from the field. However, he also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Phoenix 94, Meralco 90 Filipino-Canadian rookie Matthew Wright sizzled for a team-high 22 points, including 14 in a decisive fourth quarter run, to power the Phoenix Fuel Masters to a hard-fought 94-90 win over the Meralco Bolts. Their third win in six games pushed the Fuel Masters back into the top eight group of playoff contenders midway through the elimination round. More importantly, the win allowed Phoenix to regain its bearing after losing its last two games against Star and TNT by an average of 31 points. Remarkably, the Fuel Masters scored the win despite missing the services of two key players due to injuries—JC Intal, who averages 16.4 points per game, and veteran power forward Willy Wilson. Intal complained of difficulty in breathing before the game while Wilson suffered a hamstring injury. Mark Borboran stepped up for Phoenix in the absence of their two big guns as he finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Cyrus Baguio also played his part in the victory, finishing with a double-double 11 points and 10 boards. His clutch three-pointer with 1:12 left erased an earlier triple by Meralco rookie Jonathan Grey and pushed Phoenix back on top 91-90. Wright then finished off the Bolts with three free throws. Grey posted a career-high 24 points off the bench for Meralco while Reynel Hugnatan added 15. Cliff Hodge had a double-double of 12 points and 11 boards. Rookie Ed Daquioag added 11 markers in a losing effort for Meralco, which fell into a tie for ninth to 10th place with Barangay Ginebra, both with a 2-3 card. Meralco top gunner Chris Newsome, who averaged 18.25 points and 9.25 rebounds per game, was held to just two points on 1-for-9 shooting. Games Friday: TNT KaTropa Texters (3-2) vs. Alaska Aces (3-2) and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-2) vs. NLEX Road Warriors (1-4).
