Joshua Munzon made sure that no collapse would take place after helping Titan Ultra pull off a 102-98 escape against Blackwater for their second win in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The star winger finished with 25 points, none bigger than the four-pointer he sank under duress. That capped off an 8-2 run — in which he scored six points — to push their lead to eight, 102-94, with 1:29 remaining to completely avert disaster.
That, after the Giant Risers squandered a 20-point lead and trailed a few times during the second half. They managed to sort things out, though, to regain the upper hand before putting together the strong windup, led by their new leader.
Munzon shot just 6-of-20 from the floor, although it included a triple and a four each. Instead, he collected most of his points from the foul line with a 10-of-11 clip to carry his crew while hiking their record to 2-3 in the conference standings.
(C) PBA Images
“We just talked about it during halftime, na that’s basketball. Kumbaga sa ano, lalamang ka, then all of a sudden makakahabol ‘yung kalaban. Still, I give credit to the players, hindi sila bumigay,” said head coach Rensy Bajar.
Import Michael Gilmore was also crucial in the triumph with 21 points and 15 rebounds, with Aris Dionisio supplying 11 points and six boards.
Young guns Fran Yu and Pao Javillonar came through with significant contributions by chipping in seven points apiece. The pesky floor general also chalked up five rebounds, eight assists, and four of Titan Ultra’s 10 steals.
“Talagang tulong-tulong lang, we’re just working it together, and at the same time we’re just playing it as a team,” offered Bajar.
(C) PBA Images
That collective effort of theirs allowed Titan Ultra to deal another disappointing loss to the Bossing, who were coming off a humiliating 151-95 beatdown to Rain or Shine in their previous outing in the same venue.
Just like in their first game together, Robert Upshaw and Sedrick Barefield finished with 25 points apiece to carry much of the load on offense.
The tandem also did what they could in keeping up with the Giant Risers in the final frame, with Barefield trimming the gap to 94-92 with 5:57 to spare.
But it proved to be the closest they could get. Munzon, with some assistance from Javillonar, powered his side’s finishing kick, dealing Blackwater its fourth loss in five outings thus far in the midseason tournament.
“Siguro it’s the attitude of the players eh, it all starts in practice,” said Bajar as he gave props to his players’ character in eking out the victory.
Both squads will return to action next week, with the Bossing scheduled to face Bol Bol and the TNT Tropang 5G on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 PM.
Titan Ultra, on the other hand, will take on the struggling Converge the next day, April 15, at 5:15 PM. Both matches will be at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
The Scores:
Titan Ultra 102 – Munzon 25, Gilmore 21, Dionisio 11, Javillonar 7, Ular 7, Yu 7,Sajonia 6, Cuntapay 5, Pessumal 5, Balanza 4, Omega 4, Ambohot 0, Caralipio 0.
Blackwater 98 – Barefield 25, Upshaw III 25, Panopio 10, Tratter 9, Escoto 9, David 7, Ilagan 4, Murrell 3, Guinto 3, Cruz-Dumont 3, Mallilin 0, Una 0, Mendoza 0.
Quarterscores: 36-21, 54-50, 84-83, 102-98.
