MANILA – Macau finally found its breakthrough in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, ending a seven-game losing slide with a convincing 119-107 win over Titan Ultra on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Jenning Leung led the charge for the Black Knights, outdueling Fran Yu in a high-scoring duel as Macau collected its first victory of the conference.
Leung made the most of his 15 shot attempts, finishing with 32 points while draining eight triples on 11 tries. Yu carried Titan Ultra with a game-high 35 points, but his efforts were not enough to prevent the loss.
Macau set the tone with a 41-point explosion in the second quarter, building a cushion that Titan Ultra could not fully erase despite a strong fightback. The Black Knights closed the game with timely perimeter shooting to secure control in the final stretch.
Chongqui provided strong support with 23 points and nine assists, while Mitchell and Shackelford delivered twin double-doubles. Shackelford also came close to a triple-double with 14 points, 14 boards, and eight assists.
Yu added five rebounds and five assists on top of his scoring burst, while Balanza contributed 20 points off the bench for Titan Ultra, which slipped to 2-6.
In the later matchup, Phoenix halted Rain or Shine’s impressive seven-game winning streak with a hard-earned 87-83 victory.
The Fuel Masters struggled early, scoring just 29 first-half points and trailing by as many as 18. But a 32-point third quarter flipped momentum, trimming the deficit to just three entering the final period.
Phoenix took control late behind Tyler Tio’s clutch three-point shooting, including back-to-back triples that gave them the lead in the closing minutes.
Rain or Shine stayed within striking distance, highlighted by Nocum’s late scoring burst, but failed to capitalize on their final possession after a missed opportunity inside and a rushed long-range attempt at the buzzer.
Perkins paced Phoenix with 20 points, while Dickey delivered a dominant 17-point, 19-rebound performance. Tio added 16 points off the bench.
Nocum led Rain or Shine with 20 points, while Johnson filled the stat sheet but struggled with turnovers in the loss.
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