Macau’s Jenning Leung against Titan Ultra’s Jerick Balanza. PBA Images.MANILA — The Macau Black Knights used a dominant second-quarter outing to finally notch their breakthrough victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, defeating the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, 119-107, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday.
Jenning Leung fired 32 points on seven three-pointers as Macau snapped its seven-game skid, while Damian Chongqui added 23 points, nine assists, and two rebounds.
“It feels really good to finally get the win. We’ve been kind of knocking on the door a couple of times, so it’s good to finally get over the hump,” said Leung, who also had three rebounds and two assists.
Tony Mitchell and Phoenix Shackelford also delivered 18 points apiece, while Jiashou Li and Ramon Cao chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively, providing crucial support in their strong second-quarter showing.
Trailing by eight, 24-32, entering the said period, the Black Knights erupted for a 41-16 surge, with Shackelford and Cao each scoring 10 points during that stretch.
The outburst erased the Giant Risers’ 10-point lead and allowed the guests to build a cushion of as much as 22 points en route to sealing the victory.
The loss was Titan Ultra’s sixth straight defeat after opening the conference with back-to-back wins.
Fran Yu exploded for 35 points on five three-pointers, along with five rebounds and five assists, while fellow former Letran Knight Jerick Balanza added 20 markers, four boards, and two assists in the loss.
The Scores:
Macau 117 – Leung 32, Chongqui 23, Shackelford 18, Mitchell 18, Li 11, Cao 10, Chen 7, Lu 0.
Titan Ultra 109 – Yu 35, Balanza 20, Munzon 12, Gilmore 11, Flores 8, Dionisio 6, Pessumal 4, Javillonar 4, Caralipio 3, Sajonia 2, Melecio 2, Omega 0, Ular 0.
Quarterscores: 24-32, 65-48, 92-77, 119-107.