MAGNOLIA knew Welcoat came into the game last night wielding a very big axe.

Still, there was nothing the Beverage Masters could do to dodge it.

Marquis Gainous scored a personal conference-high 32 points and Corey Santee flirted with a triple double as the Dragons pulled off a 108-101 upset last night in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Joe De Vance and Ryan Arana came off the bench to combine for 27 points for the Dragons, who followed up their 110-103 upending of Purefoods two Sundays ago to register only their only second back-to-back wins in franchise history.

Welcoat interim coach Caloy Garcia said it was all about his players having faith in each other, as typified by Gainous’ performance and that of good friend Santee, who had 23 points, seven rebounds and as many assists.

"Nobody believed us," said Garcia. "Akala ko nga, it would take another long time for us to win again. But the players gave their best, and they played like it was championship game."

Welcoat has never won three straight games since joining the league last season, but it sure looked like it was very capable of doing so after downing what was the hottest team in the conference.

Now with a 2-4 win-loss slate, Welcoat might just have proven that it has already pulled together as a team after losing its first four games in the season-ending tournament.

The absence of Danny Seigle, whose nagging left foot injury sidelined him, took a very big toll on Magnolia, which dropped to an even 3-3 record.

Jameel Watkins had 26 points and 17 rebounds and Lordy Tugade scattered 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Beverage Masters, but they still saw their winning streak cut short at three.

Welcoat didn’t collapse when Magnolia unleashed what looked like a game-turning 21-2 run bridging the second and third quarters, losing a 48-37 lead and trailing 50-58 with seven minutes to go in the third.

And they kept their poise rock-solid when the going got tough in the final quarter.

With the count tied at 86, Welcoat let loose a 9-0 blast with Gainous scoring five points, 95-86 with merely 2:50 remaining in the game. The Dragons then thwarted Magnolia’s last stand when Arana sealed the win with two free throws in the last 7.7 seconds for a 106-101 count.

Although playing without their main offensive man, the Beverage Masters still had plenty of firepower to put away the Dragons. Instead, they played carelessly, committing 24 turnovers to Welcoat’s 17 and were outshot from three-point land 5-11.

Magnolia couldn’t convert its 48-35 edge in rebounds into a win.

Jay-R Reyes added 15 points and two blocks for the Dragons, who will try to achieve their first-ever three-game winning streak on Sunday against Philippine Cup champion Sta. Lucia.