Munzon saves Titan

Giant Risers escape, Sink Bossing

MANILA, Philippines —  Titan Ultra snapped out of a rut as Blackwater stayed in the doldrums, unable to pick itself up from its embarrassing 56-point loss last time.

The Giant Risers seized an early 20-point lead then regrouped and thwarted the Bossing’s attempts at a steal en route to a 102-98 victory in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Joshua Munzon and import Michael Gilmore stood at the forefront of Titan’s bid to get back on track after a 105-111 defeat to Meralco last March 29.

Munzon rifled in 25 points, making 19 of them in the second half capped by the dagger four-point shot while Gilmore had a 21-16 game in leading Titan to its second win in five outings.

“I give credit to the players, hindi sila bumigay especially during the rally of Blackwater. Andun pa rin kami, we stuck together, at the same time we went with our battle cry which is to play defense all the time,” said coach Renzy Bajar.

“Yun ang nagdala sa amin. And of course the leadership of Josh.”

He was referring to Munzon, who hit clutch baskets in the fourth quarter that secured them the W. This included a gutsy getaway against a double-team and a massive four-pointer that gave the Giant Risers a 102-94 cushion going to the last 1:29.

“I just want to come out aggressive in the second half. We were up 20, gave up the lead and they came back but we fought for the win. It was big, especially after our last game (loss). Happy to bounce back,” said Munzon.

Aris Dionisio helped out offensively with 11.

Undone by bungled shots from point blank range and offensive fouls in crunchtime, the Bossing fell to another heartbreaker eight days after absorbing the largest losing margin in history against Rain or Shine (95-151).

Robert Upshaw and Sedrick Barefield shot 25 apiece as Blackwater dropped to 1-4.

The protagonists engaged in a duel of runs in the first half.

The Giant Risers were the dominant ones in the initial proceedings, taking a 36-21 tear after 12 minutes and widening the gap to a high of 20 at 47-27 in the first three minutes of the second.

But then the Bossing charged back to life, dropping a 23-7 bomb to get themselves within striking distance heading into the break, 50-54.

Holding a one-point edge at the end of the third, the Giant Risers detonated a 10-4 bomb to make it a 94-87 gap in the first six minutes of the fourth.