Barangay Ginebra San Miguel started strong on Friday against the Blackwater Bossing and rode it all the way to a 101-96 win in the final game of the PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round held at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The win improves Ginebra’s record to 5-5 and pushes them to No. 3 in Group B after the Phoenix Fuel Masters lost to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the first game. The loss drops Blackwater to 3-7 and out of the playoffs.
What Happened?
Ginebra scored the first 13 points of the game, including the first 9 on a trio of triples from RJ Abarrientos, Scottie Thompson, and Jordan Murphy. The hot shooting continued up until the end of the opening frame as the crowd darlings took a 33-19 lead after one. Blackwater, though, would find a rhythm on offense in the second as it scored 28 points. But it couldn’t slow down the Barangay, who added another 30-piece en route to a 63-47 halftime lead.
The Bossing again kept pace with Ginebra in the third, going point for point with the PBA’s most popular team before winning it, 25-24. However, Tim Cone’s squad still held an 87-72 lead heading into the final frame. The Bossing continued to chip away at the lead and pulled to within 99-93 as Cone went with an all-bench lineup almost exclusively in the final 12 minutes. Ginebra, though, held on for the win.
Who Stood Out?
Murphy continued to impress for Ginebra, helping the team to a strong start and finishing with a game-high 22 points on top of 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Abarrientos and Thompson were also part of that explosive opening, and the former finished with 14 points and 3 assists, while the latter put up 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. Troy Rosario, meanwhile, came off the bench and had 17 points.
For Blackwater, Kentrell Barkley contributed a team-high 16 markers to go along with 9 rebounds. Sedrick Barefield, who didn’t play a second in the fourth, was the only other Bossing player in double digits with 12.
3 Keys to the Game
- Strong start. Ginebra left no doubt it was going for the win right from the get-go, opening the game on a 13-0 blitz to seize control early. As it turned out, that strong start set the stage for what would’ve been a blowout had Cone not used his second stringers for much of the fourth.
- Starting unit. Cone’s starting five vastly outplayed their counterparts from Blackwater, especially in the first quarter, where they did most of their damage. In the end, Ginebra’s starters scored 56 to Blackwater’s 43, and that’s with Stephen Holt going scoreless.
- Rebounding. Ginebra won the battle of the boards pretty handily, outrebounding Blackwater, 51-37, and also grabbing 19 offensive boards to the Bossing’s 14. This helped Ginebra win the possessions battle and kept Blackwater’s fast-break opportunities to within acceptable levels.
Next Up for the PBA: Quarterfinals
Sunday, October 25, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
NLEX Road Warriors vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters (5:15 p.m.)
Magnolia Hotshots vs. TNT Tropang 5G (7:30 p.m.)
