Barangay Ginebra San Miguel blasted the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 129-111, on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium for a much-needed win to bolster their sagging PBA Governors’ Cup campaign. With the win, Ginebra improved to 3-4 to tie the Blackwater Bossing but moved up to fourth place in Group B by virtue of the winner-over-the-other rule. The loss, on the other hand, sent the Elasto Painters to solo second at 4-3.
What Happened?
A Ginebra magnet ball happened. The barangay came out firing on Friday as they played like a team desperate for a win. Behind Stephen Holt, RJ Abarrientos, and new import Jordan Murphy, Ginebra fired 40 big points—24 coming from eight triples—to open the game, including a 35-17 stretch after Rain or Shine took a 5-2 lead very early in the first. There would be no let-up in the second, with Murphy and company hanging another 33 points on the Elasto Painters, who scored 27 in the second canto but still couldn’t match Ginebra’s firepower.
The treys continued falling in the third for the barangay, who fired 33 more points right after halftime to maintain a stranglehold of the game as they took a 106-75 bubble into the final canto. Ginebra finally eased off the gas pedal in the fourth, allowing Rain or Shine to score 36 points and cut into the lead at the end.
Who Stood Out?
In a slump for much of the PBA Governors’ Cup, Abarrientos finally caught fire, puncturing the hoop for a game-high 34 points on 6-for-11 shooting from downtown to go along with his 9 assists and 3 steals. Murphy starred as well, detonating on Rain or Shine with 30 big points on top of 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks. Stephen Holt, meanwhile, went off in the first quarter, hitting all four of his triples to stake the barangay to that fiery start.
On the other side, Aaron Fuller tried to carry much of the load and finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, although he committed 9 turnovers. Deo Cuajao sparked the Elasto Painters somewhat with 19 points off the bench on three triples and a four-pointer.
3 Keys to the Game
- Red-hot shooting. Ginebra was just unconscious shooting the ball pretty much all game long, but more so in the first three quarters. At one point, in fact, the barangay was shooting 60% from the field and 56% from downtown. Abarrientos and company ended up shooting 16-for-33 from the arc and 3-for-6 from four-point land. They also shot 58.7% from two-point range.
- Strong start. After the game, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao commented that the Elasto Painters lost the game in the first quarter. He’s right. After taking the lead at 5-2, Guiao’s wards gave up 40 points to Ginebra but scored only 17 more as they got buried by a 21-point hole early. The reigning Commissioner’s Cup champs then just kept building on their lead and never gave Rain or Shine any chance to build momentum for a comeback.
- Points off turnovers. Ginebra won the turnover battle, 22-16. More importantly, they converted those 22 Rain or Shine turnovers into 39 points compared to 28 for the Elasto Painters.
Next Up for the PBA
Saturday, October 10, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
Macau Giant Pandas vs. Terrafirma Dyip (5:15 p.m.)
TNT Tropang 5G vs. San Miguel Beermen (7:30 p.m.)
