Rivero waxes hot as Fuel Masters send Dyip streak to a dead end
ANTIPOLO—Trying to beat a team on a winning streak may seem tough.
Ricci Rivero made it look easy.
With the way Phoenix guard played against Terrafirma in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, you’d think he was going through just a routine shootaround.
Even with defenders closing in, Rivero made his shots look effortless en route to the Fuel Masters’ 133-105 win over the Dyip at Ynares Sports Center here on Wednesday—and a career-high 40 points.
Rivero played a huge role in Phoenix’s dominant second quarter, one that exposed Terrafirma’s flaws.
The former State U standout knocked down multiple three-pointers and pulled off a handful of the internationally-renowned “Pinoy step” moves to score 21 points in the first half, helping the Fuel Masters build a 56-46 lead at the break.
“I’ve been putting in the work,” said an exhausted Rivero.
“I thank my teammates and coaches for believing in me. We started really strong—we were running up and down, defending, and making the most out of their (Dyip) misses.”
He also finished with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.
And when Rivero finally took a breather from what looked like just another day at shooting practice, the rest of Phoenix made sure Terrafirma, the surprise solo tournament leader heading into the game, stayed down.
Insurmountable
“Credit to Ricci—I think he hit a lot of threes in the first half, and that was really big for us,” coach Charles Tiu said.
“As a team, though, we made 19 threes. Ricci had seven, but it was a total team effort. Our shooting was good. I wish we could shoot like this every game,” he added.
The Fuel Masters, already up by 10 at halftime, opened the third quarter with a blistering 25-11 run, capped by an Evan Nelle triple at the 4:58 mark that stretched the lead to 81-57.
By the end of the period, Tiu’s wards had built an insurmountable 96-73 advantage.
Backing up Rivero was Francis Escandor, who finished with 20 points. Nelle added 14, while import James Dickey chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds as Phoenix improved to 3-1.
The Dyip, meanwhile, saw their unbeaten start come to an end despite Jerrick Ahanmisi’s 37-point explosion. Mubashar Ali posted a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds, but it went for naught as Terrafirma dropped to a tie with the Fuel Masters.
