Jason Perkins finally saw action for Phoenix and his presence proved to be a huge lift in dominating Meralco, 109-97, Sunday for its first victory in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Perkins finished with 19 points and five rebounds, serving as among the key reasons why the Fuel Masters finally got into the win column after dropping the first two games of the all-Filipino tournament.

The lefty forward didn’t see action against Terrafirma and Converge due to an illness.

Ricci Rivero set the tone for a big night for Phoenix with 14 in the first quarter before finishing with a career-high 20 points. He also had five rebounds and two assists.

Phoenix Fuel Masters’ Ricci Rivero during a PBA Philippine Cup game vs Meralco. –PBA IMAGES

Tyler Tio topscored with 22 points while dishing out six assists and rookie Kai Ballungay tallied 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Fuel Masters rolled to a 26-point lead and showed no let up against the conference’s defending champions, who have now dropped two in a row following a 2-0 start.

Six Meralco players scored in double figures led by Chris Newsome’s 18, but the Bolts could get as close as 11 at some point in the second half, before Phoenix pulled away anew.

One bright spot for the Bolts was Raymar Jose, who posted 12 points and hauled down a career-high 17 rebounds.

Phoenix won before going on a long break as its next game will be on April 26 in an out-of-town game with Magnolia in Zamboanga City.

Meralco, on the other hand, also has a lengthy respite before returning to action on April 27 against Rain or Shine at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.