MANILA – Phoenix got back on track with a 102-93 win over Blackwater in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Jason Perkins scored a team-high 25 points, while Robert Johnson, Gian Mamuyac and Ricci Rivero provided chief support as the Fuel Masters remained on top of Group B with a 4-1 record.
The Bossing fell to 2-3 with their third straight defeat.
“They’re really a different team right now under coach Pat (Aquino). He’s done a really good job and they’re believing in each other. They’re playing hard, they’re playing fast,” Phoenix coach Charles Tiu said.
“I think one of our goals was to stop them from running, their transition offense, and we were able to do that. Credit the guys, we were able to get some stops. It was tough, but we battled and we didn’t give up. We got some stops when it mattered and we were able to eke out the win,” Tiu added.
Phoenix was coming off a 98-105 loss to Rain Or Shine on July 21.
“We played soft and I think they were able to bully us and be more physical than us and hindi kami pumalag (we didn’t fight back). So, we made sure we’d address that and be the ones that were more aggressive today,” Tiu said.
Perkins also hauled down six rebounds, while Johnson added 23 points and 12 boards.
Mamuyac played his best game yet in a Phoenix uniform with 18 points. Rivero had 10 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Blackwater import Kentrell Barkley tallied game-highs of 36 points and 25 rebounds but top gunner Sedrick Barefield struggled for just 10 points on 5-of-19 shooting.
RK Ilagan tried to fill up the void with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but the game started slipping from the Bossing’s hands in the third period after they posted a 62-59 lead.
Perkins hit a jumper to spark a 19-10 exchange, in which Mamuyac had six points to give Phoenix full control with a 78-72 lead.
TNT 110, Converge 107
In the second game, the TNT Tropang 5G snapped a two-game slide with a dramatic 110-107 victory over the Converge FiberXers.
Still without key players Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Kelly Williams, the Tropang 5G overcame a 17-point deficit to improve to 2-2, while handing the FiberXers (3-2) their second straight loss.
Rey Nambatac erupted for 30 points, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer that spoiled the return of Jamaal Franklin to the Converge lineup.
Jordan Heading added 20 points, Henry Galinato chipped in 12, while
import Darius Days struggled
offensively with 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting but contributed several hustle plays down the stretch.
Powered by the hot shooting of Franklin, Justine Baltazar, and Mikey Williams, Converge raced to a 33-25 lead after the opening quarter.
TNT, however, refused to fold. The Tropang 5G steadily chipped away at the deficit and closed within 54-51
at halftime.
Converge rebuilt a double-digit cushion in the third period, but TNT continued to battle before completing its comeback in the closing seconds, with Nambatac knocking down the game-winning triple at the buzzer. / PBA MEDIA / PNA
