Dick Allen and Tom Smallwood faced off in a tight PBA match where both had a max potential score of 269 entering the fifth frame. Allen missed a strike early, but recovered with a clean pickup. Smallwood stayed hot with a strike and then a turkey, putting pressure on Allen. As Allen looked for momentum, a bizarre moment hit when he faked a water spill on the approach. Water got everywhere, disrupting flow and concentration. Smallwood, clearly frustrated, tried to stay focused but stumbled in the ninth and tenth frames with two open frames and a bad split.
Allen stayed composed after the spill. He knew what he needed and delivered. In the tenth, he needed nine pins to win and got it. Whether the water spill was planned or not remained unclear, but the timing played in Allen’s favor. Smallwood was rattled after the delay and couldn’t recover. Allen took the win but kept the celebration low-key, aware that the situation got a little messy—literally.