Relying on Fran Yu’s bombs and its hardened stance in the end, Titan Ultra finally got out of the rut.
Yu rifled in three huge triples to spark a pivotal 19-7 salvo in the fourth that lifted the Giant Risers to a skid-ending 97-86 romp over Blackwater in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 11-point verdict came like a breath of fresh air for the league’s newest ballclub after its embarrassing meltdown in conceding a winnable game against Rain or Shine, 111-112, last time. Prior to that, it absorbed consecutive lopsided defeats to Converge, Magnolia and TNT after a stunning opening win over Meralco.
‘After noong (ROS) game last time, nagkaroon kami parang get-together. Sinabi ng mga coaches at management na kalimutan na ‘yun kasi mahaba pa naman ‘yung season,’ said Yu, recalling the Oct. 26 game that saw them blow a 19-point lead and lose on four free throws by Anton Asistio.
‘Pagbalik namin (after a brief break), nag-prepare kami nang maayos para hindi na maulit ‘yung ganung breakdown sa fourth quarter.’
They made sure of that this time.
The 5-foot-9 guard Yu shot 10 of his 14 in the payoff period as he joined forces with Josh Munzon and Calvin Abueva in bringing this one to bed and propelling Titan (2-4) to ninth spot from last place.
Abueba produced a game-high 23 markers and 14 rebounds while issuing six assists as Munzon finished with 18 for Titan.
The charges of Johnedel Cardel outplayed the Bossing (1-4) in the second half, 55-39.
‘We had to change our attitude sa second half, kasi nag-kanya-kanya kami nung second quarter kaya nakalamang ang Blackwater,’ said Cardel.