The Phoenix Fuel Masters opened their PBA Governors’ Cup campaign with a come‑from‑behind 98-86 win over the Magnolia Hotshots on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
What Happened?
A high‑scoring opening frame saw Magnolia fire 32 points in the first to Phoenix’s 26. The buckets started to slow down in the second, with the Hotshots’ output going down to 21 and Phoenix dropping 23. After one half, LA Tenorio’s squad held a 53-49 lead.
Phoenix then turned things around after intermission, with import BJ Johnson and Jason Perkins leading a 30‑point third quarter that also saw the Fuel Masters hold down Magnolia to just 18 markers. That turnaround helped Phoenix take a 79-71 lead to the fourth period, which became a war of attrition of sorts. Baskets were hard to come by in the final frame, with both teams failing to crack the 20‑point mark. In the end, though, the Fuel Masters did just enough to fend off every Magnolia uprising.
Who Stood Out?
After a shaky start, Phoenix’s import, BJ Johnson, settled down and proved to be a thorn to Magnolia. The athletic lefty finished with a game‑high 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way, while Jason Perkins was a force all game long with his 23 markers. Tyler Tio added 11, including two booming treys in the fourth—one to cap a 10-1 run that pushed the Phoenix lead to 89-72 and another minutes later that doused cold water on a late push by the Hotshots.
On the other side, Zavier Lucero’s 20 points led the way as the Hotshots had to play around import KJ Buffen’s game‑long foul trouble. Ian Sangalang and Jerom Lastimosa chipped in 14 and 13, respectively.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong second half. Magnolia controlled much of the first half, even erecting a 16‑point cushion at one point. But a late push by Phoenix got them closer to the Hotshots before they seized momentum and the lead in the third. That strong effort continued in the fourth, where the Fuel Masters built their lead to as much as 17.
- Poise. Part of the reason Magnolia unraveled in the second half was its lack of poise as the Hotshots seemed affected by the calls and noncalls that they felt didn’t go their way. In contrast, Phoenix showed composure even in the face of a strong first half from Magnolia and carried it through to the second half.
- Foul trouble. Buffen saw limited playing time in his PBA debut because he committed three early fouls and was plagued by foul trouble all game long. This cascaded into other facets of the game as it affected Magnolia’s rotations, forced the Hotshots to play without a reinforcement for long stretches, and allowed Johnson to mostly play against locals.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, July 12, 2026 | Ynares Center – Montalban
- NLEX Road Warriors vs. Terrafirma Dyip (5:15 p.m.)
- Converge FiberXers vs. Titan Ultra Giant Risers (7:30 p.m.)
