Barangay Ginebra San Miguel withstood a furious challenge from Blackwater and came out on top, 115-108, on Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The win is Ginebra’s sixth against two losses in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The loss is Blackwater’s seventh against two victories.
What Happened?
Perhaps inspired by their 126-120 upset win over the San Miguel Beermen, the Bossing stormed out of the gate against Ginebra, scoring the first 12 points of the game en route to erecting an early 23-3 lead. The crowd darlings, though, started fighting back, outscoring Blackwater, 13-6, the rest of the way to cut the lead to 26-16 after one. Ginebra then turned things around in the second canto, outscoring the Bossing 34-16 to wipe out that 20-point lead and head into halftime ahead, 50-42.
The Bossing, though, didn’t capitulate and instead kept in lockstep with Ginebra after intermission, even outscoring the Gin Kings, 36-35, to enter the fourth down, 85-78. An 18-8 run to open the final frame then gave Blackwater a 96-93 lead at the 7:16 mark to set the stage for a frantic finish. Ginebra retook the lead, 100-96, after a 7-0 spurt and looked headed for the victory after building a 110-102 cushion with under four minutes left. Six unanswered got the Bossing back to within 110-108, only for Nards Pinto to shut the door with a wide-open three at the 2:10 mark.
Who Stood Out?
Troy Rosario and Scottie Thompson picked up the slack for Ginebra on a night Justin Brownlee was uncharacteristically quiet for much of the game. Rosario came off the bench and notched a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Thompson, meanwhile, had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Crucially, Rosario and Thompson jumpstarted that early comeback for Ginebra, with Rosario, in particular, hitting three triples in that stretch.
For Blackwater, it was the dynamic duo of Robert Upshaw III and Sedrick Barefield who did most of the damage. Upshaw imposed his size on Ginebra on his way to 43 points and 14 boards. Barefield, on the other hand, fired 25 points on top of 12 dimes.
3 Keys to the Game
- Poise. Facing an early onslaught from an inspired Bossing, Ginebra kept its composure all throughout until it found its footing. A lesser team would have fallen apart after that rousing Blackwater start, but not Ginebra. Thompson strung together a few points, Rosario got going, and the Gin Kings got back into the game.
- Offensive rebounding. Ginebra was actually outshot by Blackwater percentage-wise, 51.4% to 48.2%. However, the crowd darlings bridged that gap with prolific offensive rebounding, with Rosario alone grabbing 6—just two fewer than the Bossing’s 8. In all, Ginebra had 18 offensive rebounds, which translated to a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points.
- Bench production. The barangay’s reserves provided a much-needed spark and outscored their counterparts in Blackwater, 33-12. Rosario’s 17 was particularly huge, as was Pinto’s dagger three in the waning moments of the fourth.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, April 25, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
NLEX Road Warriors vs. Terrafirma Dyip (5:15 p.m.)
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. Magnolia Hotshots (7:30 p.m.)
