The Macau Giant Pandas made it two wins in a row on Wednesday with a 96-92 come-from-behind victory against the Terrafirma Dyip at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. With the win, Macau improved its PBA Governors’ Cup record to 2-4. With the loss, Terrafirma dropped to 2-4.
What Happened?
Terrafirma zoomed to a 28-19 lead after the opening frame thanks to 12 points from Justin Strings and 8 from Maverick Ahanmisi. The Dyip continued their strong play in the second, outscoring the Giant Pandas, 26-24, behind another 9 points from Strings and 8 from Brent Paraiso. At the half, Terrafirma was up, 54-43.
Macau then turned the tables on Terrafirma with a 29-14 quarter spearheaded by 9 points from De’Vondre Perry, 8 from Damian Chong Qui, and 6 from Kobey Lam. That turnaround put the Giant Pandas ahead, 72-68, heading into the final frame. There, Chong Qui took charge, firing 13 more points to help Macau fend off any and all rallies by Terrafirma.
Who Stood Out?
Perry starred all game long for Macau and finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds. But Chong Qui was just as impactful, scoring 21 of his 29 in the second half and adding 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Strings had that torrid start for Terrafirma in the first quarter en route to a 34-point, 8-rebound effort as he continued his fine showing this conference. Ahanmisi showed out again as well, finishing with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in another all-around outing. Big man Geo Chiu added 6 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-best 6 blocks.
3 Keys to the Game
- Turnovers. Macau took better care of the ball all game long, turning it over just 10 times compared to Terrafirma’s 20 giveaways. This gap in turnovers led to the Giant Pandas scoring 31 points off turnovers compared to 7 for the Dyip. That difference all but negated Terrafirma’s better shooting (50.6% to 43.0%).
- Free throws. Put simply, the Giant Pandas got to the line a lot more than the Dyip, going 19-for-29 as against 7-for-10 for Terrafirma. That’s a 12-point turnaround in a 4-point game. Chong Qui, who went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe, made more free throws by himself than the entire Dyip roster.
- Damian Chong Qui. At just 5-foot-8, Chong Qui stood tall in this game nonetheless, completely taking over for Macau in the second half. He was particularly superb in the fourth as he either hit big jumpers one after the other or got to the line.
Next Up for the PBA
Friday, July 31, 2026 | SM Mall of Asia Arena
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. Magnolia Hotshots (5:15 p.m.)
Meralco Bolts vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (7:30 p.m.)
