The Terrafirma Dyip entered wholly unfamiliar territory on Wednesday, shooting up to solo first place in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a 99-88 win over the Blackwater Bossing at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. It is the Dyip’s best start since the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup, when they won their first four games.
What Happened?
Terrafirma scored the first 10 points of the game via triples from JM Bravo and Jerrick Ahanmisi, sandwiching a four-pointer from Paolo Hernandez. The Dyip extended that lead to 33-15 at the end of one as Hernandez added two more treys in a red-hot start. Blackwater, though, chipped away at that deficit with a 24-17 second quarter highlighted by 11 straight points from Sedrick Barefield heading into halftime.
The Dyip retook control in the third as the reigning PBA Press Corps Player of the Week, Jerrick Ahanmisi, fired nine in the quarter to lead Terrafirma to a 75-66 cushion heading into the final frame. Hernandez then opened the fourth with a layup to give Terrafirma another double-digit lead, 77-66, which the Dyip protected until the final buzzer.
Who Stood Out?
With import Mubashar Ali held to “only” 22 points after dropping 50 on the Converge FiberXers, it was Paolo Hernandez’s time to shine, and he made the most of it, firing 20 points on top of 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Jerrick Ahanmisi had a stellar game, too, finishing with 18 points highlighted by a pair of four-pointers.
On the other side was Sedrick Barefield, who led all scorers with 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting overall. He also had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. James Una also shone, even if he only had 6 points and 3 dimes. He made up for it, though, with contagious energy and all-out hustle.
3 Keys to the Game
- Team effort. With Ali somewhat contained, multiple Terrafirma players stepped up in scoring, starting with Hernandez and Jerrick Ahanmisi. Two other starters—Geo Chiu and JM Bravo—added a combined 14 markers, while Joseph Eriobu and Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in 12 and 10, respectively, off the bench. Barefield, in contrast, got little support from import Daniel Ochefu, while Christian David only scored 5 points.
- Free throws. The Dyip got 32 freebies and made 24 of them, compared to the Bossing’s 16 makes on 24 free throw attempts. That disparity was largely a product of Terrafirma attacking the paint on a consistent basis, whereas Blackwater mostly settled for outside shots.
- Defense. Save for the second canto, the Dyip largely kept Blackwater’s offense in check, even limiting the Bossing to less than 20 points in both the first and third quarters. Overall, the Bossing shot a measly 36.6% from the field, which would have been lower had it not been for Barefield’s hot end to the second quarter.
Next Up for the PBA
Friday, March 20, 2026 | Ynares Center Antipolo
TNT Tropang 5G vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (5:00 p.m.)
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel vs. Macau Black Knights (7:30 p.m.)
