Down 16 and staring at a blowout, Phoenix found its superhero in a first-time import who refused to let his PBA debut end in defeat.

The Fuel Masters erased an early 16-point deficit and stormed back for a 98-86 victory over Magnolia on Saturday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Ynares Center-Montalban, capping one of the wildest turnarounds of the young conference.

BJ Johnson’s Explosive Debut Sparks the Comeback

Import BJ Johnson delivered a statement in his first PBA outing, exploding for 34 points and 10 rebounds while leading a 49-33 blitz over the final 24 minutes that flipped the game entirely in Phoenix’s favor.

Magnolia looked ready to run away with it early, building a commanding 44-28 lead at the 7:14 mark of the second quarter. That’s when Johnson took over. The 6-foot-6 import erupted for 15 points in the second quarter alone, sparking a surge that trimmed Phoenix’s deficit to a manageable 53-49 at halftime.

He didn’t let up after the break, either. Johnson poured in 11 more points to open the third quarter as Phoenix seized control of the game outright, 79-71, completing the full reversal from their early hole.

“The team just gave me confidence. They wanted me to be myself, they gave me the green light to be aggressive and score the ball,” Johnson said. “We’re a smaller team, so we need everybody to rebound, and I just used my athleticism to get a few rebounds.”

Perkins, Tio Close It Out as Buffen’s Foul Trouble Sinks Magnolia

With Johnson having done the heavy lifting, Jason Perkins and Tyler Tio took over mop-up duties in the fourth quarter, combining for 12 points down the stretch to seal the win. Perkins finished with 23 points, while Tio added 11.

Magnolia’s collapse was compounded by foul trouble that derailed import KJ Buffen’s entire night. Buffen picked up three fouls in the opening quarter alone, forcing him to the bench for long stretches, then picked up his fifth midway through the third quarter before eventually fouling out with 17.2 seconds remaining. He finished with just 15 points, unable to find any rhythm as his minutes were squeezed by foul trouble at the worst possible time.

Zav Lucero did his best to keep the Hotshots afloat, leading all Magnolia scorers with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Johnson’s takeover performance and Buffen’s disappearing act.

The win gives Phoenix a statement victory in Group B of the season-ending conference and instantly establishes Johnson as one of the imports to watch as the Governors’ Cup rolls on.