The Titan Ultra Giant Risers barged into the win column of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday after dealing the TNT Tropang 5G a stunning 103-87 rout at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. With the win, Titan Ultra improved to 1-3, while dropping TNT to 1-1.
What Happened?
TNT raced out to a quick 11-4 lead after three straight triples from Darius Days, only for Titan Ultra to unleash 11 unanswered for a 15-11 advantage. The two teams then went nip-and-tuck to end the opening frame, with the Tropa nudging ahead 31-27 after one. The Giant Risers responded in the second canto, with Aris Dionisio, Joshua Munzon, and import Tirrell Brown leading a 31-17 charge to put Titan Ultra ahead, 58-48, at halftime.
Titan Ultra continued the surge in the third, holding TNT to just 16 points while Brown fired 14 of the team’s 22 points for an 80-64 cushion going into the final frame. The Giant Risers pushed that lead to as much as 90-68 at under the nine-minute mark and never let the Tropang 5G get any closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
Who Stood Out?
Brown continued his solid play for the Giant Risers, firing a game-high 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting on top of 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Jerrick Balanza, Joshua Munzon, and Bryan Sajonia off the bench provided additional firepower as each scored 13 on a combined 13-for-22 clip. Fran Yu, meanwhile, did a fantastic job facilitating, tallying 5 points and 11 assists.
For TNT, Days was the only one who had a semblance of a decent game, finishing with 21 points and 6 rebounds on 5-for-12 shooting from downtown. Kim Aurin off the TNT bench added 11 points and 4 rebounds.
3 Keys to the Game
- Shooting. Titan Ultra just shot better overall—53.0% to TNT’s 42.5%. It’s partly due to Yu orchestrating the offense, and the TNT defense just not playing to its usual unforgiving standards.
- Free throws. Both teams got to the line quite a lot in this one, but the Giant Risers got there just a bit more, making 17 of their 21 attempts. In contrast, the Tropa attempted 15 times and made just 9.
- Injuries. All due respect to Titan Ultra, but the outcome of this game could’ve been different if TNT had its full complement of players. But Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Kelly Williams, and Poy Erram were all out, and that severely handicapped the Tropang 5G.
Next Up for the PBA
Friday, July 22, 2026 | Smart Araneta Coliseum
- Magnolia Hotshots vs. Meralco Bolts (5:15 p.m.)
- Blackwater Bossing vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (7:30 p.m.)
