Rain or Shine Elasto Painters wanted to redeem themselves after failing to sweep the first round of the elimination round when they were defeated by June Mar Fajardo’s buzzer-beating jumper in their last game.

The Elasto Painters will face the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, which seek their first win of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup when they meet on Tuesday, 5pm of September 9 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Should ROS get the dub, they will have a solid hold of the lead in Group B when they recorded a 5-1 in the standings, and will be one victory ahead of coach Yeng Guaio’s target to be able to secure a spot in the crossover quarterfinal round.

However, Guiao is cautious of the struggling Fuel Masters that will rely on the capabilities of their new import Brandone Francis, who averaged 39 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his first two games in the league.

"We are cautious in our approach to the Phoenix because we have beaten them without an import. We just pulled away in the end,” said Guaio.

"Now they have a good import. They've been struggling, yes. But I think their import is also just making the adjustments. By Tuesday he must be better adjusted to the team and our style of play so we will have a harder time putting together a win against Phoenix this time,” added by the fiery mentor.

True enough, Phoenix put up a gallant fight in their meeting as they came back from a couple of 20-point deficits to threaten within 86-91 in the fourth quarter of play.

Good thing for the Elasto Painters, they still have plenty of weapons to gas out the Fuel Masters in the end and take a 116-99 victory.

Barangay Ginebra and Blackwater will face each other in a rematch during the second round of PBA Season 49 Governor’s Cup elimination round.

Both teams are targeting their fourth win of the conference when they clash tonight in the main event of the double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In their first meeting, the Bossing stunned the Gin Kings 95-88 during the debut game of George King and gave the team their first win of the season after failing their first three.

King, a former NBA player who wore Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks jerseys, tallied 33 points and collared 19 rebounds in that battle. Since he reinforced Blackwater, they were on a roll recording a three-game win streak. They have defeated the winless Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 123-11, and the NLEX Road Warriors, 110-109.

"We're fortunate to have won the last three games but we feel like our backs are still against the wall and we need to keep pushing," said Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso.

On the Ginebra side, they wanted to avenge their loss against King and the Bossing. The Gin Kings are also on a roll right now with a two-game winning streak after defeating Road Warriors, 119-91, then the Fuel Masters, 110-101. 

“It’s a big game for both of us opening up the second round,” said Ginebra tactician Tim Cone as he tasked Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar and the rest of the gang to be at their best in the rematch.

In Group B, the teams are closely bunched together led by Rain or Shine with 4-1, then Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer with identical 3-2, closely behind them are Blackwater and NLEX with 3-3 slate, while Phoenix is left behind with 0-5.

Reigning UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao leads the De La Salle Green Archers to defeat the National University Bulldogs in their toe-to-toe battle, 78-75 in the opening game of the UAAP Season 87 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers superstar scored nine of his 22 points in the clutch including the winning triple with 9.8 seconds left that basically ended the game.

“What we want didn’t click, I just pointed to myself that I need to take over and there’s a guy that we need to rely on,” said Quiambao, who also collared eight rebounds, and seven assists.

DLSU head coach Topex Robinson was also on high about his prized 6’7” forward.

“That’s the beauty about having him. He will always make the right decisions. He even said that put the blame on him no matter what,” Coach Topex said.

True enough to his words, KQ led the Green Archers comeback from a 71-64 deficit and spearheaded the 14-4 run to end the game.

The Scores:

LA SALLE 78 – Quiambao 22, M. Phillips 12, Gollena 10, Abadam 8, Ramiro 6, Gonzales 6, Macalalag 5, David 4, Agunanne 2, Dungo 2, Marasigan 1, Konov 0.

NU 75 – Figueroa 15, Palacielo 15, Manansala 10, Padrones 7, Jumamoy 6, Francisco 6, Enriquez 4, Yu 2, Garcia 2, Lim 2, Perciano 2, Santiago 2, Dela Cruz 2, Diassana 0.

Quarters: 23-18, 45-45, 60-65, 78-75.

JuneMar Fajardo scored another highlight for his illustrious career as he sank a buzzer-beating jumper to lead San Miguel Beermen in giving Rain or Shine Elasto Painters their first loss of the season, 113-112 on Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

SMB was in trouble when Chris Ross fouled Felix Lemetti at the four-point area and the Rain or Shine rookie made all his free throws to give the Elasto Painters a one-point lead.

Then, the heroics of the 8x MVP came when he sprinted down the court, received the forward pass from CJ Perez, and drained the game-winner.

"Tsamba na lang yon (it’s just a lucky shot)," said Fajardo of his game-winning 12-footer, foiling the Elasto Painters' sweep bid in the first round of the PBA Governors Cup eliminations.

"Dying seconds, kailangan itira. Mabuti pumasok (Dying seconds, need to take the shot. good thing it went in)," added Fajardo, saving the Beermen from what could have been a sorry loss in the game they set the pace most of the way.

Beside the final shot at the buzzer, “The Kraken” produced another monster game with 27 points and 19 rebounds to lift the Beermen to a 3-2, tied for the second spot with NLEX in Group B.

JMF’s winning moment also preserved the 41 points tallied by SMB’s import Jordan Adams who also made a crucial jumper during their see-saw battle at the closing minutes of the game.

Even though Rain or Shine suffered their first loss of the conference, Coach Yeng Guiao still managed to smile as his team almost stole the game from the mighty Beermen.

The Filipino-Swedish rookie Lemetti led the Elasto Painters with 28 points highlighted by 5-of-6 three-pointers, 1-of-1 from four-point area, and his final four freebies that almost sealed the game.

Aaron Fuller continued to be consistent and played big with his 24 markers and 18 boards.

The scores:

San Miguel 113 – Adams 41, Fajardo 27, Perez 10, Cruz 10, Trollano 9, Lassiter 6, Tautuaa 4, Romeo 4, Rosales 2, Ross 0.

Rain or Shine 112 – Lemetti 28, Fuller 24, Nocum 21, Mamuyac 12, Datu 10, Caracut 6, Clarito 4, Santillan 3, Belga 2, Norwood 2.

QUARTERS: 33-28 , 55-53, 86-80, 113-112.

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses secured its second straight win after hammering University of the Philippines, 84-60, in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, October 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Tacky Tacatac delivered her best performance of the season after unloading four triples to finish with 20 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter that gave UST an 84-58 cushion with 1:20 remaining on the clock.

“I hope she (Tacky) continues to play well. Like they say, a shooter will always be a shooter. It will give us more space in our offense because the defenders are focused on Tacky,” UST head coach Haydee Ong said post-game.

Kent Pastrana as usual sustained her outstanding performance, finishing with 21 markers, highlighted by three triples, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals to improve the Growling Tigresses record to 5-1.

UST rookie Karylle Sierba recorded 11 markers, six dimes, three boards, and two deflections, while Season 85 MVP Eka Soriano chipped in five points, eight rebounds, and four steals in the winning effort. 

The Growling Tigresses will aim to conclude the first round on a winning note against Far Eastern University on Saturday, October 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are trying to paint a perfect slate in the first round of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ cup elimination round when they face the San Miguel Beermen in the main game of the Thursday double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In their previous game last Friday, the Elasto Painters got their 4-0 record when they dominated the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 116-99.

Rain or Shine is the only team right now with an unblemished record in the conference and they are determined to remain perfect in the first round.

“The other teams are just getting their groove as they prepared late in the pre-season. You will just see their true potential in the middle of the eliminations and towards the end,” said ROS coach Yeng Guiao in Filipino.

“It’s just beautiful to see that you are winning,” added Guiao. “All of these (wins) are temporary. We’re hoping we can stretch our win as much as we can. What we are targeting is six wins. We believe that if you get six wins, you’ll be safe to enter the next round.”

Renewed Hotshots win second win in a row

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots survived the grit of the import-less NorthPort Batang Pier, 105-94, to register their third win in five outings of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Sophomore Zavier Lucero played his best game so far in a Magnolia uniform against his former team that also drafted him. He was then traded to the Hotshots in the off-season in exchange for Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter.

Lucero lodged 16 points and 12 rebounds to earn the player of the game honors.

Hotshots import Glenn Robinson III registered a game-high 25 points and collected 11 rebounds, while Paul Lee added 20 markers, 11 assists and five boards, to enlist three Magnolia players with double-double performance.

Calvin Abueva and Jerrick Ahanmisi also produced double digit numbers by scoring 10 apiece.

On the opposite end, Cade Flores led NorthPort with his own double-double by producing 23 points and 10 rebounds to fill the void that import Venky Jois and William Navarro left as they sat out of the game due to ankle injuries.

Batang Pier star Arvin Tolentino who just scored 51 games two games prior, was just limited to 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field, though he grabbed 12 rebounds to become the fifth player to have a double-double in the contest.

The Meralco Bolts are now leading the pack in Group A of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup after dominating the Converge FiberXers, 116-88 yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Meralco, now with a 4-1 record, still played superb even though not yet in full force as key players like Cliff Hodge, Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan, and Aaron Black did not play due to injuries.

Allen Durham led the Bolts with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, while Chris Banchero finished with 24 points, 12 of which came from the second quarter alone.

They also received solid contributions from the likes of Anjo Caram and Alvin Pasaol in the blowout win. Caram had a total of 16 points (11 in the 3rd canto), while Pasaol had 12 markers, 10 of which came in the 2nd half where Meralco led by as much as 30 points.

The FiberXers suffered their third defeat in five games while playing without starting center Justin Arana who sprained his ankle in their previous game. They also lost their back-up center Patrick Maagdenberg during the game when he sustained a knee injury during the game.

Scotty Hopson, who’s been consistent since he reinforced Converge tallied 33 points, grabbed six rebounds and six assists to lead the FiberXers. Alec Stockton and JL delos Santos added 13 and 12 respectively but not enough to bring back the team to life.

The Scores :

MERALCO 116 - Durham 27, Banchero 24, Caram 16, Pasaol 12, Mendoza 10, Cansino 6, Newsom 5, Quinto 5, Jose 5, Rios 3, Bates 2, pascual 1.

CONVERGE 88 - Hopson 33, Stockton 13, Delos Santos 12, AMbohot 10, Santos 8, Winston 5, Maagdenberg 4, Andrade 3, Fleming 0, Racal 0, Nieto 0, Caralipio 0, Melecio 0, Fornilos 0, Cabagnot 0.

QUARTERS: 26-32, 53-50, 86-73, 116-88.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and NorthPort Batang Pier will try to finish the first round of the double-round eliminations of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup with a 3-2 slate when they face each other on Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The winner of the game will be over the 0.500 mark while the defeated team will have a record of 2-3 in Group A. The Hotshots and Batang Pier were grouped with TNT Tropang Giga, Meralco Bolts, Converge FiberXers and Terrafirma Dyip.

After the game, the two teams will be on their way to the 2nd round robin which will start on Saturday, when the Hotshots face the Bolts in Panabo City.

Barangay Ginebra walloped NLEX, 119-91, on Tuesday to get back on winning track in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Coming from a 95-88 upset by Blackwater, Ginebra fired on all cylinders in the first half with a 60-percent clip from the field and ended it with a 63-41 lead.

Stephen Holt played his best game as a Gin King, leading the team in scoring with 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing off six assists.

Maverick Ahanmisi added 20 markers for the team while Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos also played their best game for the conference by producing 19 points each in helping the Gin Kings evened their record at 2-2 in Group B.

Resident import Justine Brownlee put up only 13 markers in 38 minutes of play but still grabbed seven boards and dished nine dimes.

"I thought we played a really good tempo. The other guys outside Justin Brownlee played aggressively and looked for their shot, and they took some pressure off Justin," said Cone.

"I also thought NLEX's a little tired from their out-of-town game where they won in overtime," the Ginebra coach added.

Meanwhile, NLEX couldn't keep up with the searing pace set by the Gin Kings, suffering a blowout four days after a 112-108 shock overtime win over the San Miguel Beermen in Cagayan de Oro.

NLEX main man Robert Bolick still managed to fire away 19 points, five rebounds, and seven assists while Myke Henry was limited to only 16 points but still collared eight rebounds and registered seven assists. Henry also committed seven turnovers that might be a result of fatigue and Gin Kings suffocating defense against him.

Robbie Herdon added 15 while Dominick Fajardo registered 14 and Jhan Nermal 10 for the Road Warriors.

Blackwater Bossing let two of its prized players explode into double-double performances to pick up a much-needed second win against Phoenix Super LPG in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.

George King led a regal performance of 44 points, while Sedrick Barefield added 32 more markers to give Blackwater the dub Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After delivering a 33-point, 19-rebound performance in his PBA debut against Barangay Ginebra last Frida, King made another impactful game as he exploded for his second double-double scoring 44 and grabbing 13 boards for the Bossing, which lead as much as 19.

The local unit of Blackwater was led again by their top rookie Sedrick Barefield who hit a three-pointer at the final 1:10 mark of the game to seal the win for the Bossing, and marked the victory with another ‘night night’ gesture.

RK Ilagan and Troy Rosario helped out also in the offensive end, scoring 14 and 12 respectively. Ilagan also added five boards and the same number of dimes to his name.

"We knew that their new import was gonna come in and give them some life, give them some motivation, the same way George did for us. So we were expecting them to be ready and be good and they were," said Blackwater coach Jeffrey Cariaso.

"I think what happened there was, also George King," Cariaso pointed out. "You know, him stepping up and matching not just the points and all the numbers that Francis brought, but he matched the energy, he matched the defending and all the things we talked about at practice as part of our team."

On the Phoenix side, debuting import Brandone Francis made an impact immediately for the team as he registered 45 points, together with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jason Perkins led the Fuel Masters locals with his conference-best 29 points on top of eight boards but there were no other players from the team who scored white than eight points.

The University of the Philippines will be left with a significant hole when the UAAP Season 87 begins with one of their top guns set to miss out the entire women’s basketball tournament.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Favour Onoh will sit out her supposed sophomore season as she continues to recover from injuries to both knees. 

The UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development confirmed the development on Tuesday, September 3, signifying that they are keeping an eye on Onoh’s complete recovery instead of constraining her to join the team in pursuit to end a four-decade title drought.

The c hoped Onoh’s return would have been possible even in the later schedule, but their camp ultimately decided to do what’s best for the young hooper’s career.

“We don’t want to insist on putting her in the line up, then if she is not at full-strength, her one playing year would only be wasted,” said head coach Paul Ramos.

Last season, the 6-foot-4 Nigerian center displayed an outstanding debut tallying impressive per-game statistics of 11 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. 

The Diliman-based female hoopers will now look to key players like Achrissa Maw and Shanina Tapawan to hold down the fort with Kaye Pesquera, Christie Bariquit, and Filipino-Australian Alex Mendoza also joining in the roster. 

On the other hand, Gilas Women Camille Nolasco and Louna Ozar have been cleared from their national duties and will be ready for action right away.

With Onoh sidelined, the Fighting Maroons are determined to replicate their Season 86 magic without their top anchor and are dead set on making another breakthrough in the UAAP. 

Phoenix Fuel Masters tapped the services of the dead-shot wingman from the Dominican Republic Brandone Francis to be their replacement import in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.

Francis will begin his PBA journey when Phoenix faces the George King and the Blackwater Bossing on September 3 in the first game of the doubleheader at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The longtime import for Prawira Harum Bandung in the Indonesia Basketball League or IBL who helped the team win a title last year, will replace Jayveous McKinnis as the Fuel Masters reinforcement.

Supposedly, Le’Bryan Nash will be the one to replace McKinnis but he was ruled ineligible as he went over the 6-foot-6 height limit. He was measured 6’6” ⅜ by the league.

Francis in town was listed 6-foot-4 in the IBL, the reason why Phoenix team is confident that he will make the cut even though he will just be measured at the PBA office a few hours before their 5:00 pm game.

The new import might be familiar with some of the PBA’s current young guns as the now 29-year-old Dominican guard played against Gilas Pilipinas in the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Serbia.

Now, the Dominican Republic men’s team stalwart is joining a Fuel Masters side hoping to get its first win of the conference as it is currently 0-3 in Group B.

Meralco Bolts bank on a huge third-quarter tear to rip NorthPort Batang Pier, 109-99, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday night, September 1.

Import Allen Durham hulked a near triple-double performance spiked by his 19 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter where the Bolts pulled away from the Batang Pier for good. He added 15 rebounds and nine assists to lead Meralco in a joint Group A lead with TNT Tropang Texters at 3-1.

Chris Banchero put up 23, Bong Quinto chipped in 18, including a team-leading 14 in the first half, while Anjo Caram contributed 10, all in the third canto.

On the defensive end, the Bolts limited Arvin Tolentino to 21 after exploding for a career-high 51 in their last game in a follow-up to a near triple double in a previous outing.

The Bolts also did a good job on NorthPort import Venky Jois whom they bounded to just six points, five rebounds and three assists with two turnovers.

William Navarro and Joshua Munzon contributed 18 and 16, respectively for the Batang Pier who fell to an even 2-2 record as their two-game winning run was snapped.

Jerrick Ahanmisi scored a career-best 24 points to lead the Magnolia Hotshots’ overwhelming win over Terrafirma Dyip, 124-104, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Magnolia went back to their identity as a defensive team and even led as much as 60-22 in the second quarter.

Ahanmisi's career game was highlighted by his four 4-pointers and two 3-pointers, where his 10 of 24 markers in the second period fueled their breakaway to erect a 63-32 lead at the half.

Before Ahanmisi’s explosion, Hotshots import Glenn Robinson III made his presence felt early in the game and finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds despite dealing with food poisoning on the eve of the match.

Zavier Lucero, Ian Sangalang, Paul Lee and Joseph Eriobu each finished with at least 12 markers to back up Ahanmi’s impressive performance.

The performance pleased Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero even though the Hotshots seemed to relax in the second half where they allowed the Dyip to score more than 30 per quarter.

"I told them before, in our preparations, that all our failures, 'our setbacks, what is important is on how we bounce back," said Victolero.

We did very well. We started very strong, we played on our pace and I think we got to dictate our defense right away and it impacted the whole team," he added.

"Maybe we just relaxed a little bit that’s that's why they scored more than 30 points per quarter in the second half," Victolero ended.

On the other hand, Stanley Pringle scored 23 markers for Terrafirma while fellow former Barangay Ginebra player Christian Standhardinger had his best game for his new team producing 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Unfortunately for the Dyip, Juami Tiongson, Kemark Carino and Antonio Hester suffered injuries that kept them out of action in the entire second half.

Rookie Paolo Hernandez tried to fill the slack for the three as he recorded his own career-high 18 points anchored on a 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, but not enough to match the balance attack of the Hotshots.

The Scores :

MAGNOLIA 124 - Ahanmisi 24, Robinson III 20, Lucero 15, Sangalang 14, Lee 13, Eriobu 12, Balanza 7, Barroca 6, Laput 6, Dionisio 4, Abueva 3, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0, Dela Rosa 0, Alfaro 0.

TERRAFIRMA 103 - Pringle 23, Standhardinger 22, Hernandez 18, Sangalang 9, Ramos 9, Ferrer 7, Hanapi 7, Cahilig 6, Hester 2, Tiongson 0, Olivario 0, Carino 0.

QUARTERS: 34-13, 63-32, 86-64, 124-103.

NLEX dug deep and drew extra mileage from its support crew to beat San Miguel in overtime, 122-108, at the Aquilino Pimentel International Convention Center in Cagayan De Oro City on Saturday night, August 31.

The Road Warriors claimed their third win in four outings after relying on clutch plays from their shock troopers together with their import Myke Henry and top star Robert Bolick.

Henry still delivered his usual numbers by producing 33 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks while Bolick added 20 markers including two crucial free throws that led to a four-point cushion to the last 13.8 seconds of the extra period.

But the shock troopers provided the big difference in NLEX bounce back win after succumbing to Rain or Shine, 105-124, in their last outing. The Road Warriors now improved to 3-1 in the standings.

Mike Miranda, more known as an enforcer, contributed 17 points and showcased his long-range shooting skills especially in the fourth quarter when hit a pair of three-pointers, including a four-ball that gave the Road Warriors a 96-93 cushion, with 2:16 left in the fourth.

Jonnel Policarpo added 12 points, while Jhan Nermal produced 10 and started the OT with a clutch three-point play off a foul from Marcio Lassiter.

Richie Rodger only had six points but he made his last two field goals in overtime where he had a couple of getaway layups, while Robbie Herdon chipped in 10 including a triple that led to a 110-106 advantage with 28.2 seconds remaining in the game.

SMB pulled back to within two on June Mar Fajardo's undergoal stab but Bolick brought back up to four from the stripe.

The Beermen tried to send it to a second OT but back-to-back misses from the four-point arc by CJ Perez and Chris Ross in the final 13.8 ticks enabled NLEX to complete what it failed to do back in regulation.

The Beermen, who got 36 from Jordan Adams, 29 from Perez and 19 from Fajardo, fell to back-to-back losses after a 2-0 start.

In a battle of two teams with contrasting playstyles, TNT Tropang Giga prevailed against Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 88-82 on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

TNT emerged victorious behind the near triple-double performance of import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who contributed 32 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.

Hollis-Jefferson's performance was highlighted by his three-pointer and a breakaway dunk from a steal in the homestretch of the game to help TNT bounce back from their sorry loss from their last game against Converge and regained the lead in Group A with a 3-1 record.

Jayson Castro and Poy Erram joined RHJ in a 10-0 run that pushed the Tropang Giga to an 88-80 lead, after finding themselves trailing by two points going to the final four minutes of play.

Using TNT’s signature threes to its advantage, Rondae knocked down one from beyond the arc to recapture the lead, 81-80, then stole Magnolia’s defensive identity when he closed the game with a winning fast break slam after deflecting the pass of Glenn Robinson III with 31.4 seconds remaining.

Arvin Tolentino scored his career-high 51 points in a romp made by NorthPort Batang Pier against Converge FiberXers, 135-109, on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Tolentino’s career-best broke the previous franchise record 50 points established by NorthPort’s former gunner Stanley Pringle during the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.

It was also the last 51-point production in the league since Asi Taulava had the same score back in 2004 where TNT won over Purefoods, 131-105 during the Fiesta Cup.

According to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon, Allan Caidic and Rudy Distrito were the last two homegrown players to hit more than 50 points. Caidic recorded a league-high 79 points on November 21, 1991 while Distrito scored 54 in Tivoli’s 162-149 over Ginebra.

Adding flavor to Tolentino’s career game was his 15-of-27 shooting from the field - 10-of-14 from two-point range and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc while nailing a perfect 16-of-16 from the stripes.

The First Mythical Team Member for the 48th Season breached the 50-point barrier with 2:01 left in the fourth on a jumper from the left wing, and was replaced shortly thereafter, receiving high fives from NorthPort coaches and players.

“I felt na maganda ang tinatakbo ng team especially on transition and on defense,” a teary-eyed Tolentino told reporters. Siguro na-suwerte lang na dumarating sa akin yung bola at nasu-shoot ko naman.”

The Season 48 Mythical Team member and former FEU star also credited his teammates for the feat, "It's a total team effort for us. Yeah, I scored 51 points but I also gave credit to my teammates who gave their best today. I think they deserved the spotlight also."

True enough, two of his teammates backed him up in offense and defense as Joshua Munzon tallied 19 points and five steals, while Jio Jalalon added 13 markers and two deflections.

Tolentino's hot shooting powered the Batang Pier to their second straight win for a 2-1 record in Group A.

Coach Bonnie Tan also noted how Tolentino's game has evolved since coming to the league in 2020.

"I'm happy with Arvin's career. For the past two games, he's not much of a scoring, but yung defense niya,yung assist department nag-i step up na si Arvin. Nag-e-evolve and nagma-mature na rin yung game niya," said Tan.

On the other hand, Scotty Hopson, who nailed a game-winning four against TNT last Tuesday, led the FiberXers with 24 points while Alec Stockton put up 19.

The scores:

NORTHPORT 135 – Tolentino 51, Munzon 19, Jalalon 13, Cuntapay 11, Navarro 10, Yu 6, Jois 6, Bulanadi 6, Nelle 5, Amores 4, Onwubere 2, Taha 2, Flores 0, Tratter 0.

CONVERGE 109 – Hopson 24, Stockton 19, Arana 16, Winston 16, Santos 12, Racal 8, Delos Santos 6, Nieto 4, Maagdenberg 2, Melecio 2, Cabagnot 0, Caralipio 0, Vigan-Fleming 0, Ambohot 0, Andrade 0.

Quarters: 38-24; 68-50; 100-77; 135-109.

Meralco Bolts regained its winning ways by giving Terrafirma Dyip their third straight loss of the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup, 107-91, on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Allen Durham led the way for the Bolts as he scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Bong Quinto added 22 to help the team have a 2-1 record in the conference while putting the Dyip to a 0-3 hole in the Group A standings.

Chris Banchero also contributed 17 markers while 16 for the rookie CJ Cansino and 12 for the veteran Allein Maliksi.

Meralco played without their team captain Chris Newsome, Aaron Black and Raymond Alamazan due to injuries.

Newsome was advised not to play yet in the game as he suffered an ankle injury last Sunday against TNT where Poy Erram accidentally fell on his feet.

Stanley Pringle led the Terrafirma in scoring with 19 points while Antonio Hester, who might have played his last game for the Dyip added 19.

Reports are rife Brandon Lee Edwards, who injured his knee before the season started last Aug. 18, is fit enough to see action for Terrafirma in its next game against Magnolia on Sunday.

The Bolts will also play their next assignment on Sunday as they face Converge FiberXers at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Scores:

MERALCO 107 - Durham 23, Quinto 22, Bancgero 17, Cansino 16, Maliksi 12, Mendoza 5, Hodge 4, Caram 4, Torres 2, Pascual 2, Bates 0, Pasaol 0, Rios 0.

TERRAFIRMA 91 - Pringle 19, Hester 18, Hernandez 15, Tiongson 9, Standhardinger 9, Sangalang 7, Carino 7, Carino 4, Ferrer 4, Cahilig 3, Hanapi 3, Olivario 0.

QUARTERS: 31-19, 56-43, 79-67, 107-91

Gilas Pilipinas Women standout Jack Animam returns to Europe as she embarks on a new journey with a Romanian club. The 25-year-old Filipina athlete has signed a contract with FCC UAV Arad, a Romanian women’s professional basketball league squad, the team announced in a social media post. “Our club and player Jack Danielle Animam have reached an agreement to collaborate in the 2024-2025 season,” wrote the team’s page. Animam is coming off a solid performance with Gilas Women in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, where she paced the Philippines with averages of 13.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.7 steals. She memorably had a double-double of 18 points and 21 rebounds in the Philippines’ narrow loss to world No. 8 Brazil. Animam, a National University product, will expand her reach on the global hoops stage, having played in Australia, China, Serbia, and France.

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters wiped out an early 21-point deficit to pummel the NLEX Road Warriors, 124-105, on Wednesday night and became the lone undefeated team in the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup.

The Elasto Painters fell behind early, 45-24, but managed to still take the lead at the half 58-54 on their way to a 19-point victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Rain or Shine fell behind, 40-24, at the end of the first quarter and went on an 18-0 run at one point in the second quarter to turn it around and finished the game with a convincing victory.

“Nagpasensya lang kami,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “We just tried to recover from the shock - 40-point quarter, they were making all of their threes. Medyo nakakabigla ‘yung first quarter, pero sabi namin, let’s just weather our storm and play our game.”

Season 48 Most Improved Player Jhonard Clarito led the Elasto Painters with 24 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the field. He also had three rebounds, four assists and five steals.

Gian Mamuyac added 22 markers and six dimes for ROS while import Aaron Fuller still showed his dominance in the paint by scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.

Two more ROS players tallied double figures in scoring: Andrei Caracut scored 17 together with his four rebounds and seven assists, while 10 markers were chipped in by rookie Caelan Tiongson, who also defended the Road Warriors import Mark Henry to his lowest output of the tournament of 21 points and forced him to be in foul trouble.

"Maganda ang start ni (NLEX import Myke) Henry, buti na foul-trouble. And Caelan Tiongson did a good job shutting him down, the same way that he did against Justin Brownlee," said Guiao on the play of his prized rookie.

“We were also able to contain Bolick although marami pa rin siya ginawa but he was not as dominant as he usually will be,” Guiao added.

Robert Bolick had 22 points, four rebounds, and seven assists while Richie Rodger added 16 points for NLEX.

 

The scores:

Rain or Shine 124 – Clarito 24, Mamuyac 22, Fuller 21, Caracut 17, Tiongson 10, Lemetti 9, Datu 6, Santillan 3, Nocum 3, Asistio 3, Escandor 3, Ildefonso 2, Norwood 1, Villegas 0, Belga 0.

NLEX 105 – Bolick 22, Henry 21, Rodger 16, Miranda 15, Policarpio 13, Fajardo 9, Amer 6, Nieto 3, Valdez 0, Semerad 0, Marcelo 0, Herndon 0.

Quarters: 24-40; 58-54; 91-83; 124-105.

Scotty Hopson became “too hotty” in the game as he hit the first ever 4-point game winner in the PBA to cap off his 32-point game performance.

Hopson knocked down the 4-pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game to lift Converge FiberXers to a 96-95 squeaker against TNT Tropang Giga after trailing as much as 16 points in the game.

The Converge import completed his heroics in the defensive end as he blocked the driving Rondae Hollis-Jefferson just before the final buzzer went off.

Converge improved to 2-1 as they dealt TNT their first loss of the conference after three matches.

The FiberXers were still down by three, 95-92, after Hollis-Jefferson knocked down the game’s last four free throws, including a pair with only 9.6 seconds left in the contest.

Converge interim head coach Franco Atienza said that they intended to take the four-point shot in their final possession as they have someone who can shoot from that distance.

True enough, Hopson made the historic game-winning shot after he got enough space to launch a shot off the screen given by Bryan Santos against Glenn Khobuntin.

Hopson, who also grabbed 10 rebounds and four assists said that, "In situations like that, I get real calm and let my instincts take over. I've made shots like that my whole career, in terms of game-winners. This was just another one that went in and... thank God I put all those hours in by myself on the court when nobody's watching."

Schonny Winston led the Converge locals with 14 markers, seven boards, two dimes and two deflections while Justin Arana added 13 points and seven rebounds.

On the TNT side, RHJ had 32 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blacks to lead the Tropang Giga while Calvin Oftana added 22 points and 10 rebounds.

The scores:

Converge 96 – Hopson 32, Winston 14, Arana 13, Racal 12, Cabagnot 10, Stockton 8, Santos 5, Delos Santos 2, Caralipio 0, Nieto 0, Andrade 0, Ambohot 0.

TNT 95 – Hollis-Jefferson 32, Oftana 22, Castro 8, Aurin 7, Khobuntin 7, Nambatac 6, Heruela 5, Erram 5, Pogoy 3, Payawal 0.

QUARTERS: 16-29, 40-53, 64-70, 96-95

Justin Brownlee may have erased doubters by setting a new career high in his stint with Asia’s first and oldest pay-for-play league.

The 36-year-old floor general erupted for 51 points to set his new career high in the PBA, leading Ginebra and snapping the resurgence of the San Miguel Beermen in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup, 108-102 on Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Brownlee took over in the second half in the second half of play, especially in the fourth quarter where the Gin Kings outscored the Beermen 34-23 to have a better grasp of the victory.

The 3-time best import sealed the game with a win-sealing layup to give Ginebra its first win of the new season after dropping their first game against Rain or Shine in Candon, Ilocos Sur.

Brownlee also added 13 rebounds, six steals and five assists as he bounced back from his flat performance in their out-of-town game last Saturday.

Japeth Aguilar led the local unit in scoring as he dropped 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while rookie RJ Abarrientos redeemed himself from his 1-of-15 shooting in his PBA debut game by scoring 13 points on 5-of-12 from the field to go with five assists.

SMB import Jordan Adams who scored 50 points in their last game, led the Beermen in scoring with 23 (15 in the 1st half). Four local players also scored in double-digit for San Miguel with June Mar Fajardo contributing 17, CJ Perez 14, Terrence Romeo 13 and Jeron Teng 12.

It was a close battle between the two teams as they closed the first quarter with 24-all, and closed the half with 46-all deadlock.

The Beermen took the lead at the end of the third period 79-74 behind Teng’s 12 points and Romeo adding seven while the whole team hit 66-percent from the field against the Gin Kings 47.4 percent.

But in the fourth and final period, Ginebra made their counter attack including the two consecutive baskets made by Aguilar to tie the game at 102, and added six more to finally seal the game.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 108 - Brownlee 51, J.Aguilar 21, Abarrientos 13, Thompson 7, Holt 5, Ahanmisi 4, Go 4, Tenorio 3, Cu 0, Adamos 0, Garcia 0.

SAN MIGUEL 102 - Adams 23, Fajardo 17, Perez 14, Romeo 13, Teng 12, Ross 5, Rosales 4, Trollano 4, Cruz 4, Manuel 4, Tautuaa 2, Lassiter 0.

QUARTERS: , 24-24, 46-46, 74-79, 108-102

San Miguel hopes to continue their hot start in the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup when they face the 0-1 Barangay Ginebra at the main game of the Tuesday double-header on August 27, 7:30 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

SMB won their first two assignments - the first one was a toe-to-toe battle against Phoenix Fuel Masters which the Beermen won 111-107 off June Mar Fajardo’s 37 point-24 rebound performance. CJ Perez also added 21 including the four-point dagger with 56 seconds left in the game.

Then, the Beermen won a convincing 128-108 victory against Blackwater Bossing led by their import Jordan Adams who scored 50 points. The Bosing even had a seven-point lead entering the halftime break (63-56) before SMB outscored them in the third period, 38-20 to seize control of the game and end the quarter with 94-83 lead.

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on the other hand will try to notch their first win of the conference after bowing down to Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 73-64 on the first PBA on Tour of the season held in at the Candon City Arena in Candon, Ilocos Sur last Saturday, August 24.

Japeth Aguilar led the Gin Kings with 20 markers while Justine Brownlee added 18. Debuting Gin Kings from the off-season trade, Stephen Holt has 13 points while No. 3 pick overall RJ Abarrientos netted only three points on 1-of-15 shooting from the field.

Having a rich history of ‘sibling rivalry’, the Beermen and Gin Kings collision at the Big Dome will be another treat for the PBA faithfuls.