The Macau Giant Pandas are winless no more after they rallied for a 132-126 victory over the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The win hikes the Giant Pandas’ PBA Governors’ Cup record to 1-4 and drops Titan Ultra to the same stake.
What Happened?
The Giant Risers had a gigantic start to this game, scoring the first seven points thanks to a five-point cluster—a deuce and a triple—from Jerrick Balanza. That paved the way for a 35-19 first quarter as Titan Ultra looked primed for a second straight win. Macau’s offense got untracked in the second as De’Vondre Perry, Damian Chong Qui, and Kobey Lam took charge. The Giant Pandas, though, couldn’t crawl back even after scoring 32 points, as they surrendered the same amount of points to head into intermission down, 67-51.
Perry and Lam continued to wax hot in the third, and this time Jenning Leung and Ramon Cao began to chip in as well for a 44-point quarter to take a 95-94 lead into the fourth. Leung took charge in the final frame, scoring 14 more points to help Macau notch the win.
Who Stood Out?
Leung marked his return to the PBA in a big way, firing all 22 of his points in Macau’s second-half storm. He also had 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Perry continued to be solid for the Giant Pandas, putting up a mammoth 32-point, 22-rebound outing. Cao added 28 points and 13 boards, Lam finished with 19 markers and 7 dimes, and Chong Qui had 19 points and 6 assists.
Tirrell Brown led the way for Titan Ultra with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. He got great help from Fran Yu, who tallied 17 points and issued a career-best 14 dimes to go along with 7 rebounds. Balanza finished with 14 markers and 6 boards.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong second half. After a lackadaisical first half, the Giant Pandas completely turned things around in the second, complementing their hot shooting with some inspired defense to complete the comeback and build a big enough lead to hold off Titan Ultra.
- Leung’s return. Jenning Leung’s return meant an additional weapon for Macau, and he proved to be exactly that with his 22-point second half. At least for this game, he was the missing piece that allowed the Giant Pandas to finish strong.
- Interior scoring. For a team so heavily reliant on perimeter points, Macau got a lot of scoring in the interior, with Cao, Perry, and Chong Qui repeatedly attacking the paint. The result was a sizable 74-52 advantage for the Giant Pandas in points in the paint.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, July 26, 2026 | Smart Araneta Coliseum
San Miguel Beermen vs. NLEX Road Warriors (5:15 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (7:30 p.m.)
