Macau storms back from 19 down as Cao finishes off dramatic comeback against Titan Ultra

19 hours ago

Down by 19 points and staring at a fifth straight defeat, Macau refused to fold.

Instead, the Giant Pandas unleashed a breathtaking second-half rally, with Ramon Cao taking command in crunch time to complete a stunning 132-126 comeback victory over Titan Ultra on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Macau caught fire after halftime, pouring in 81 points over the final two quarters to erase the huge deficit and finally break into the win column at 1-4 in Group A.

When the game hung in the balance, Cao delivered.

The veteran forward scored 11 of Macau's last 13 points, including seven straight that transformed a one-point deficit into a six-point cushion in the final two minutes. He capped his stellar performance with 28 points and 13 rebounds in just 30 minutes.

De'Vondre Perry complemented Cao's late-game heroics with timely baskets before Cao's putback effectively sealed the comeback.

"We were just able to piece it together today. But we started off badly too. Our first half was not acceptable. They just outplayed us," head coach Marcus Elliott said.

"My speech at halftime was, 'Hey, man, get your head out of your behind and come out and play hard. They're just outhustling us,' but we were able to put it together."

Perry finished with a monster performance of 32 points, 22 rebounds, and five assists, while Jenning Leung made an immediate impact in his return with 22 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and four steals.

Kobey Lam and Damian Chongqui chipped in 19 points each, and Jeffrey Ma added 10 as Macau erupted for 44 third-quarter points to completely swing the momentum.

For Titan Ultra, what appeared to be another breakthrough victory slipped away after a defensive collapse in the second half.

Tirrell Brown led the Giant Risers with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Joshua Munzon added 19 points, while Fran Yu produced one of the best playmaking performances of his career with 17 points and a career-high, franchise-record 14 assists. Jerrick Balanza, Pao Javillonar, and Ato Ular also reached double figures.

The comeback victory ended Macau's four-game drought and gave the Giant Pandas renewed momentum heading into their July 29 matchup against Terrafirma. Titan Ultra, meanwhile, will try to bounce back when it faces unbeaten San Miguel Beer later the same day.