Games today:
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5:15 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs Blackwater
7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Converge
Macau finally barged into the win column following a 119-107 victory over Titan Ultra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday.
Jenning Leung waxed hot with 32 points behind an 11-of-15 shooting clip as the Black Knights snapped their seven-game slump despite fielding only eight players.
Macau head coach Marcus Elliott said his boys were determined to finally get that breakthrough win despite the odds stacked against them.
“I think it’s just pride. We were knocking on the door for a couple wins and we don’t want to keep losing,” Elliott, who only had eight players in his rotation, said.
“Every game is a chance to get a win, so we came together and got the win.”
Elliott said some of the players had to fly back to Macau for personal reasons, making it hard for them to prepare ahead against the Giant Risers.
“I think some of them have personal family and business issues aside from Macau, so they had to go back and handle that,” Elliot said.
“Whatever they need to do, they need to take their time. We do miss their bodies, their energy. We could use them, but if they’ve got to handle what’s going on at home first.”
With a slim 46-45 lead with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter, Jiashou Li drained a triple and sparked a 15-0 run for a massive advantage for the Black Knights A Leung three-point shot in the 7:07 mark of the third period gave Macau its biggest lead of the game, 78-56, at 22 points.
Damian Chongqui had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Black Knights while Tony Mitchell scored 18 points and 14 boards for a double-double game for the guest squad that outgunned its local foe with 19 three-pointers.
Fran Yu sizzled with 35 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Giant Risers, who sank to a 2-6 record.