TITAN Ultra came up with its best offensive game yet to exact revenge on erstwhile tormentor Macau via a 132-128 victory Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Tirrell Brown notched 36 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Giant Risers, who set franchise records for points in a quarter (47), a half (80) and a game (132). Titan raced to a 66-37 lead in the first half before withstanding a furious Macau rally.
Brown also delivered timely baskets down the stretch to steady Titan, which survived some anxious moments as the Giant Pandas stormed back in the second half.
“We know that Macau will come back. Iyon din ang sinabi ko sa kanila sa (That’s what I also told them in the) huddle,” said Titan coach Rensy Bajar after the Giant Risers improved to 2-5 in Group A, snapping a two-game skid that began with a 132-126 loss to the same team last July 25.
“So, like what happened to us in our previous game, we were leading by 16 points in the first half and then all of a sudden they came back strong in the third and fourth quarters,” Bajar added.
Joshua Munzon scored 18 points, but Bajar also gave credit to his bench, led by Roi Sumang and Bryan Sajonia, for combining for 57 points.
Ato Ular scored six of his nine points and grabbed five of his eight rebounds in the fourth quarter to help keep Macau at bay after Mark Omega was stretchered off following a hard fall while battling for a rebound with 11:07 remaining.
Macau dropped to 2-5 despite De’Vondre Perry’s 45 points and 14 rebounds. Ramon Cao added 24 points, while 6-foot-10 Jeffrey Ma posted career-best numbers of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Damien Chongqui chipped in 18 points and nine assists, while Kobey Lam scored 14 off the bench. Jenning Leung, however, was limited to seven points.
Behind Perry, the Giant Pandas cut the deficit to 80-60 at halftime and pulled within 108-97 entering the fourth quarter before falling short.
NLEX sweeps Round 1
Meanwhile, NLEX completed a first-round sweep of the eliminations with an 88-83 victory over TNT Tropang 5G in the main game.
The Road Warriors improved to a league-best 6-0 despite cooling off in the second half, relying on key defensive stops and late-game execution to preserve their unbeaten record while handing TNT its third loss in six games.
Coach Jimmy Alapag pointed to Schonny Winston’s steal on Kim Aurin in the closing seconds, which led to Robert Bolick splitting his free throws to seal the win.
The victory also gave Alapag one over his former mentor, Chot Reyes, whose Tropang 5G slipped into a tie with idle Converge for third place in Group A at 3-3. San Miguel Beer sits second at 4-2.
“A lot of credit goes to TNT. They have a group that plays extremely hard. They kind of made our game sloppy with their hustles. They’re super active on defense with all five players on the floor,” Alapag said.
TNT erased a 17-point deficit behind its aggressive defense and closed to within 70-65 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tropang 5G remained within striking distance until Winston stripped Aurin in the closing seconds. Bolick then split a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds left to put the game away.
“We knew coming in that they’re a scrappy bunch and we’re to weather a storm pretty much. And it’s about patience,” said DeQuan Jones, who led NLEX with 27 points and six rebounds.
LJay Gonzales added 11 points, while Bolick finished with 10. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson paced TNT with 22 points. / PBA MEDIA