PBA: Fran Yu hits timely triples to lift Titan past Blackwater

Fran Yu caught fire from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, propelling Titan Ultra to a 97-86 victory over Blackwater and snapping their slump in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Yu dropped three huge three-pointers in the payoff period where he dropped 10 of his 14 points, while also grabbing seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals off the bench to help the Giant Risers end a four-game slide.

Titan, whose last win came in their debut victory over Meralco on October 8, improved to 2-4 while the Bossing absorbed their fourth loss in a row to go 1-4 in the team standings. 

Calvin Abueva sizzled anew after pouring a double-double effort of 23 points and 14 rebounds laced with six assists and two blocks while Joshua Munzon and Aljun Melecio chipped in 18 and 11 markers apiece as they atoned for their losses to Converge, Magnolia, TNT, and Rain or Shine. 

Yu, who only made two of his five attempts through the first three quarters, completed a four-point play to spark Titan's fourth-quarter rally before issuing the pass that led to a Munzon basket for a 78-70 lead. 

The former Letran standout then buried another triple to extend that lead to 11. 

Abueva also came up big when it mattered most, setting up Yu for another long bomb before scoring another basket of his own for a 90-77 cushion. The veteran forward sank a pair of free throws to put the game away for good. 

Sedrick Barefield paced the skidding Blackwater with 18 points while Troy Malilin and Dalph Panopio chimed in with 17 and 15 markers each in another losing effort for the Bossing. 

Scores:

Titan 97 – Abueva 23, Munzon 18, Yu 14, Melecio 11, Pessumal 10, Flores 7, Balanza 5, Ambohot 3, Dionisio 3, Cuntapay 1, Barasi 0, Ular 0, Sumang 0.

Blackwater 86 – Barefield 18, Mallilin 17, Panopio 15, David 15, Tratter 6, Mendoza 5, Guinto 4, Andrade 2, Escoto 2, Murrell 0, Zamar 0, Dumont 0, Jopia 0.

Quarters: 20-18, 42-47, 71-67, 97-86.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News