MANILA – Meralco leaned on the heroics of Chris Banchero and Chris Newsome, along with a costly error by Blackwater in the dying seconds, to escape with a 116-114 victory over the Bossing in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Meralco seemed to have the game under control after entering the fourth period with a 98-91 lead. The Bolts even stretched the difference to 110-92, still 7:35 to go.
But Blackwater staged a comeback and tied the game at 114-all. The Bossing even had the chance to take the upper hand inside the final 35 seconds.
However, Sedrick Barefield and Kentrell Barkley missed their tries, and Banchero snagged the rebound that led to a Newsome layup for a 116-114 Meralco lead with only 3.9 ticks left.
Blackwater’s hope of at least equalizing vanished when RK Ilagan dribbled off his foot, sending the ball into the backcourt just before the final buzzer sounded.
“You have to give Blackwater credit,” Meralco coach Luigi Trillo said after his team notched a second straight win to catch Blackwater at 2-1 in Group B.
“I think we were up in the third quarter by 17 points. They have no quit and that’s a testament to what coach Pat’s (Aquino) been doing there. They’re playing really good. Good na lang (It’s good) that we were able to shoot that last shot on that pass to New (Newsome).”
Despite scoring only one point in the entire second half, Antonio Hester still led Meralco with 25 points on top of 12 rebounds.
Newsome and Banchero added 16 apiece.
Barefield’s 29 points paced Blackwater, while Barkley recorded a double-double with 28 points and 10 boards.
Ilagan chipped in 20 points and Dalph Panopio 11 to help Barefield and Barkley fuel a fightback that knotted the count for only the third and last time.
ROS 105, Phoenix 98
Rain or Shine (ROS) finally broke into the win column, handing Phoenix its first loss with a wire-to-wire 105-98 triumph in the nightcap.
After opening the conference with losses to Blackwater (108-131) and Meralco (114-122), the Elasto Painters played with a sense of urgency and nailed their first win while dealing the Fuel Masters their first loss in four starts.
“It’s all about effort. We gave emphasis on playing defense and in getting the rebounds and we did that tonight,” said Aaron Fuller, who finished with game highs of 28 points and 16 rebounds.
Rain or Shine dominated the hustle categories throughout the contest, and coach Yeng Guiao was equally pleased with his team’s ball movement, which resulted in 29 assists compared to Phoenix’s 17.
Robert Johnson III piled up 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Fuel Masters who actually rallied to within a point early in the fourth and to within four at the endgame.
The scores:
First Game
Meralco 116 – Hester 25, Banchero 16, Newsome 16, Cansino 15, Hodge 14, Maliksi 8, Quinto 7, Black 6, Brickman 5, Mocon 2, Bates 2.
Blackwater 114 – Barefield 29, Barkley 28, Ilagan 20, Panopio 11, Austria 9, Tratter 7, Demusis 4, Una 2, Murrell 2, Escoto 2, Mendoza 0, Dumont-Cruz 0.
Quarters: 26-29, 61-57, 98-81, 116-114.
Second Game
Rain or Shine 105 - Fuller 28, Nocum 18, Malonzo 12, Tiongson 11, Villegas 9, Caracut 9, Asistio 8, Cuajao 5, Manaytay 3, Clarito 2
Phoenix 98 - Johnson 27, Tuffin 16, Perkins 13, Tio 12, Santos 9, Mamuyac 8, Delos Santos 5, Ballungay 4, Rivero 4, Reavis 0, Chua 0
Quarterscores: 30-25, 60-50, 80-73, 105-98. PBA / PNA
