Titan Ultra ends long drought with statement win over defending champion TNT

Tiger Scores365

After enduring weeks of frustration and a painful stretch of losses, Titan Ultra finally found the breakthrough it had been searching for — and it came against the defending conference champion.

The Giant Risers put together their most complete performance of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, dominating TNT, 103-87, on Wednesday at the Ynares Center to finally enter the win column.

The victory ended a 10-game losing streak that stretched back to the Commissioner's Cup, where the expansion franchise closed the conference with seven straight defeats before beginning the Governors’ Cup with losses to Terrafirma, Converge, and NLEX.

Coming off consecutive losses by more than 30 points, Titan Ultra answered with a performance built on the areas head coach Rejsy Bajar emphasized most: defense and rebounding.

"After our loss against NLEX, kumbaga tinrabaho namin talaga no. 1 'yung defense. Transition defense, plus the rebounding,” said Bajar.

“Halos pinatakbo ko sila nang pinatakbo sa training, especially kung coming from the offensive rebound talagang binibilang namin iyon. Siguro ngayon nag-commit ‘yung mga bata, mga players namin in our defense alone," he added.

The Giant Risers found their spark through import Tirrell Brown, who powered the offense with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three steals to lead Titan Ultra’s first victory in Group A.

Joshua Munzon also provided a timely contribution with 13 points, matching the production of Jerrick Balanza and Bryan Sajonia. Aris Dionisio added 10 points, highlighted by a dagger three-pointer that helped put the game out of TNT’s reach.

The victory carried extra significance for the young franchise. According to league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, it marked Titan Ultra’s biggest winning margin since joining the PBA and its first-ever victory against an MVP Group team.

The Giant Risers seized momentum in the second quarter, turning a close battle into a 58-48 halftime advantage after a 31-17 scoring burst.

Brown continued to dictate the pace after halftime, helping Titan Ultra build an 80-64 cushion heading into the final period. Dionisio then delivered the finishing blow, hitting a corner three that stretched the lead to 90-68 with under nine minutes left.

TNT’s night became even more difficult when head coach Chot Reyes was ejected after receiving his second technical foul.

Darius Days tried to keep the Tropang 5G afloat with 21 points, while Kim Aurin and Roger Pogoy added 11 and 10 points, respectively. But TNT could not recover from Titan Ultra’s surge and fell to 1-1 in the conference.

For the Giant Risers, it was more than just a win — it was a long-awaited sign that their breakthrough had finally arrived.