Big fish caught
ANTIPOLO—Joshua Munzon, import Tirrell Brown and Titan Ultra finally got on the win column in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday here after three straight defeats.
The Giant Risers carved out a 103-87 win at Ynares Center at the expense of the shorthanded defending champion TNT Tropang 5G, the traditional powerhouse side that was once rumored to be the next destination of Munzon.
“It’s just a basketball game,” Munzon said. “At the end of the day, I get paid to play basketball so that’s what I went out to do. Being professional and just going there and handling business. [The] business side is not my job.”
Munzon, who finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks, had been a subject of trade talks ever since the start of the season, the most recent being that he was on his way to the Tropang 5G for Rey Nambatac.
But a deal never materialized until the start of the conference, leaving both players under status quo.
Getting a result was the focus of Munzon and the rest of the Giant Risers, who got a big performance from Brown in his second game on Philippine soil.
Brown finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the way for Titan Ultra’s first victory in Group A.
Titan Ultra lost its first three games by an average of 26.3 points, the last two by 31 against Converge and 35 at the hands of NLEX, respectively.
“It is important to get this win and prove to everyone that I belong here,” Brown said.
10-game skid snapped
Jerrick Balanza and rookie guard Bryan Sajonia added 13 points each for Titan Ultra, which led by a high of 22 in the second half.
The Giant Risers actually snapped a 10-game skid dating back to the Commissioner’s Cup, but will now get a chance to get back-to-back wins.
Next up for Titan Ultra is struggling guest team Macau on Saturday back at the same venue, as they seek that elusive winning streak while pinning a fifth straight loss on the Giant Pandas.
TNT dropped to 1-1 after a miserable showing that left coach Chot Reyes begging for a better version of his squad.
Reyes would be ejected in the fourth quarter after his second technical foul and the Tropang 5G down by a huge margin.
Import Darius Days scored 21 while Kim Aurin and RR Pogoy added 11 and 10 apiece for TNT, which is still missing key players Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Kelly Williams.
