The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters took the Blackwater Bossing’s best shot and escaped with a 125-123 win on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. With the win, the Elasto Painters improved their record to 5-3 and sealed a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Governors’ Cup. Blackwater, on the other hand, dropped to 3-6 and is now perilously close to another early exit.
What Happened?
Rain or Shine and Blackwater battled all game long, as was expected for a game with significant playoff implications. The Bossing, though, made their move first, starting out on a 20-9 run as they played seemingly with more urgency. The Elasto Painters, though, gradually crept back in it and ended the opening frame just down by three, 36-33. Rain or Shine continued to impose its style and will in the second quarter, but Blackwater proved up to the challenge, all but matching Yeng Guiao’s wards point for point to enter halftime down by just one, 65-64.
It was much of the same in the third canto—Rain or Shine connecting and Blackwater responding. But the Elasto Painters did enough in that quarter, outscoring the Bossing, 30-27, to take a 95-91 lead to the final frame. Rain or Shine next outscored Blackwater, 20-11, to build a 115-102 bubble with time down to a little over five minutes. But, just as the Elasto Painters looked like they would cruise to an easy win, the Bossing fired a 21-4 run to get to within 124-123 with just 18 seconds left. Adrian Nocum was then fouled, made the first of two freebies, and missed the second, setting the stage for the Bossing’s final possession, which ended up with Sedrick Barefield missing a desperation triple.
Who Stood Out?
The stars showed out for both teams. For Rain or Shine, Aaron Fuller, Caelan Tiongson, and Nocum all starred, with Fuller coming away with a 24-point, 19-rebound double-double and Tiongson adding 22 points on 4-for-6 shooting from distance. Nocum, meanwhile, came off the Rain or Shine bench and contributed 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
For Blackwater, the trio of Barefield, Kentrell Barkley, and RK Ilagan did the heavy lifting. Barkley led the way with 35 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, while Barefield tied his conference high with 31 markers. Ilagan added 24 points on 4-for-5 shooting from downtown to go along with 4 assists and 2 steals.
3 Keys to the Game
- Composure. The Elasto Painters stepped up big in the first seven minutes of the final frame to erect their biggest lead, 105-92, before showing enough composure in the end to withstand a searing Blackwater run in the endgame.
- Free-throw shooting. Free points matter in a two-point contest, and Blackwater gave up too many of them as it shot 26-for-43 from the charity stripe. In contrast, Rain or Shine went 29-for-39. That difference of three made freebies could’ve swung the outcome.
- Bench play. Guiao loves to dig deep into his bench, and his second stringers rewarded that trust by outscoring their Blackwater counterparts, 46-26. Nocum accounted for 20 of those points, but Mike Malonzo and Andrei Caracut sparked the Elasto Painters as well with 13 and 10, respectively. Malonzo added 5 boards, and Caracut chipped in 3 dimes as well.
Next Up for the PBA
Sunday, October 18, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Converge FiberXers (5:15 p.m.)
Phoenix Fuel Masters vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (7:30 p.m.)
