Giant Risers snap skid in style, hand Tropang 5G first loss

Titan Ultra finally broke through in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup, scoring a statement 103-87 victory over defending conference champion TNT on Wednesday at the Ynares Center.

The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Giant Risers dating back to the previous Commissioner's Cup, where the expansion franchise finished the conference with seven consecutive defeats before opening the current tournament with losses to Terrafirma, Converge, and NLEX.

After absorbing back-to-back blowout losses by more than 30 points, Titan Ultra delivered a complete performance on both ends of the floor to secure its first victory of the conference.

Head coach Rejsy Bajar credited the team’s improved defense and rebounding after their recent struggles.

"After our loss against NLEX, kumbaga tinrabaho namin talaga no. 1 'yung defense. Transition defense, plus the rebounding,” said Bajar.

“Halos pinatakbo ko sila nang pinatakbo sa training, especially kung coming from the offensive rebound talagang binibilang namin iyon. Siguro ngayon nag-commit ‘yung mga bata, mga players namin in our defense alone," he added.

Import Tirrell Brown led the way for Titan Ultra with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals as the Giant Risers entered the win column in Group A.

Joshua Munzon, who had been linked to trade rumors involving TNT before the conference, finished with 13 points, matching the output of Jerrick Balanza and Bryan Sajonia. Aris Dionisio added 10 points, including a crucial three-pointer that helped seal the victory.

League chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III said the win marked Titan Ultra’s largest winning margin since entering the PBA and its first-ever victory against an MVP Group franchise.

The Giant Risers broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring TNT, 31-17, to take a 58-48 lead into halftime.

Brown continued to control the game after the break as Titan Ultra extended its advantage to 80-64 heading into the fourth quarter. Dionisio then knocked down a corner three-pointer to push the lead to its biggest at 90-68 with less than nine minutes remaining.

TNT head coach Chot Reyes was ejected earlier in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul of the game.

Darius Days led the Tropang 5G with 21 points in the loss, while Kim Aurin and Roger Pogoy contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, as TNT dropped to 1-1 in the conference.