PBA: Jenning Leung, Damian Chongqui drop 30 each as Macau escapes Blackwater

Jenning Leung and Damian Chongqui caught fire from downtown to help the Macau Black Knights survive a brave stand from import-less Blackwater, 123-119, in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Leung and Chongqui each erupted for 30 points after combining for eight of the Black Knights' 12 three-pointers made throughout the game that went down to the wire despite the Bossing missing their import Robert Upshaw.

Ramon Cao delivered a double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while import Tony Mitchell added 11 points and 22 boards as the guest team—already out of contention—handled its third-to-last assignment to improve with a 2–8 record.

"We pretty much got five or six guys who are always gonna be in double figures and Damian had a big night, Jenning had a big night," Macau head coach Marcus Elliott said.

"We always want to just get better. We don't know what's going to happen next conference. Let's just build on this win and build on the confidence."

Macau didn’t have it easy against a Blackwater side that was without Upshaw, who is averaging 33.43 points and 11.57 rebounds in the tournament.

But a Leung triple and a Chongqui layup early in the fourth allowed the visiting club to create some separation with a 103-94 lead. The Bossing, though, staged a fightback with Christian David and Sedrick Barefield heating up as the latter fired a three-pointer to cap off a 20-10 rampage that gave Blackwater a 114-113 lead in the final four minutes.

Down by one again, the Bossing had a chance to retake the lead, but Barefield’s three-point attempt rattled in and out as that costly turnover completed Macau's second overall win. 

In the absence of Upshaw, David and Paul Zamar picked up the scoring duties with 21 points each while Barefield finished with 18 markers. The loss dealt a massive blow to Balckwater's already-flickering playoff hopes as the Bossing dropped to 2-8. 

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News