The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters pounced on a seemingly lethargic Barangay Ginebra squad on Sunday, authoring a dominant 110-99 drubbing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the win, Rain or Shine improved to 2-2 in the PBA Governors’ Cup and exacted a measure of revenge on Ginebra, who beat the former in the semis last conference. The loss also sends the crowd darlings to the bottom of Group B with a 1-2 record, alongside the Magnolia Hotshots.
What Happened?
Rain or Shine and Ginebra picked up from where they left off last conference, going blow for blow in a scintillating and intense first quarter. The Elasto Painters wound up on top, 33-29, after one on the shoulders of 8 early points from Adrian Nocum, while Ginebra leaned on a trio of four-pointers from import Riley Grigsby. In the second quarter, Rain or Shine built the game’s first double-digit lead at 44-33 before ending the half ahead, 53-46.
The Elasto Painters then cranked it up in the third quarter, with Caelan Tiongson (9 points) and Aaron Fuller (13 points) leading a 36-27 onslaught for an 89-73 lead heading into the fourth. Ginebra crawled back to within nine points, 101-92, at the 5:18 mark thanks to triples from Jeremiah Gray, Ralph Cu, and Riley Grigsby. But that’s as close as the barangay would get as Rain or Shine finished the job with a 5-0 answer en route to the win.
Who Stood Out?
Fuller was a beast again for the Elasto Painters, bullying his way to a conference-high 37 points on top of 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Tiongson starred for Rain or Shine as well, firing 21 points spiked by five triples. Nocum, meanwhile, had that fast start in the opening frame and finished with 13 points and a career-high 10 dimes.
In contrast, Ginebra struggled for much of the game, although Troy Rosario put up a valiant effort en route to a 13-point, 8-rebound outing. Grigsby led the way with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
3 Keys to the Game
- Pace. Yeng Guiao likes his team playing fast, and the Elasto Painters did just that, running away with a 14-3 advantage in fastbreak points and scoring countless more on the secondary break, where Ginebra’s defense was not set.
- Turnovers. Rain or Shine forced Ginebra to 21 turnovers—far too many to Tim Cone’s exacting standards. The Elasto Painters committed 16 errors themselves, but they took advantage of Ginebra’s turnovers more, outscoring the barangay 27-13 in points off turnovers.
- Import battle. Fuller didn’t just win the numbers game against Grigsby. He was also more impactful, with his inside play anchoring Rain or Shine’s attack and his intensity rubbing off on the Elasto Painters. In contrast, Grigsby was largely passive, even in the face of Rain or Shine’s searing second half, and could not create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Next Up for the PBA
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 | Ninoy Aquino Stadium
Phoenix Fuel Masters vs. Blackwater Bossing (5:15 p.m.)
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Converge FiberXers (7:30 p.m.)
