Rain or Shine, NLEX score big wins

MANILA – Rain or Shine defeated Barangay Ginebra, 110-99, to notch its second straight victory in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday, July 26, 2026.Aaron Fuller was nearly unstoppable, finishing with 37 points and 12 rebounds, while Caelan Tiongson scored a conference-high 21 points to power the Elasto Painters’ decisive third-quarter surge.Tiongson, who was named Best Player of the Game, sparked a 36-27 third-quarter run with three three-pointers as Rain or Shine seized control after trailing 21-17 early.The Elasto Painters improved to 2-2, creating a three-way tie with Blackwater and Meralco for second place in Group B.The Gin Kings, who eliminated Rain or Shine in the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, slipped to 1-2.“We started the conference at 0-2 and we started this game just focused on winning,” Tiongson, who shot 3-of-4 from two-point range, said. “We have a good import who attracted defense and he opened up the spaces for us.”Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao credited his local players for finding ways to get the ball to Fuller despite Ginebra’s defensive pressure.“Mahirap ipasok ang (It was hard to get the) entry pass kay (to) Aaron Fuller as all teams denied him that. But we did a good job to make the pass work,” he said.Guiao also acknowledged that the schedule may have worked in Rain or Shine’s favor, with Ginebra coming off a 115-85 victory over Blackwater on Friday.“Ang ganda ng shooting nila Friday at umaasa ako (Their shooting was excellent on Friday and I hoped) the law of averages caught up with them, at bumaba ang shooting percentage nila (and their shooting percentage did go down),” he said.Adrian Nocum and Jhonard Clarito added 13 points each.NLEX 110, San Miguel 96In the first game, NLEX rolled past San Miguel Beer, 110-96, to remain unbeaten through four games in Group A.DeQuan Jones led the Road Warriors with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Schonny Winston and Robert Bolick helped establish control in the opening half.“Really proud of our guys. Any time you play San Miguel, with all their championship experience, it’s always a great test for a young team,” NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag said. “But I thought we were very resilient, especially in the second half.”The Beermen mounted a rally behind Don Trollano, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to cut an 85-60 deficit to 90-82 with 9:38 remaining.NLEX quickly regained control behind Bolick, who drained a four-point shot before assisting DeQuan Jones, Robert Herndon and Anthony Semerad on consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 110-93 with 1:10 left.Winston made his first seven field-goal attempts, including two three-pointers, and finished with 24 points. Semerad added 15 points, all from beyond the arc.Bolick contributed 14 points and 12 assists, while Herndon chipped in 12 points.The loss snapped San Miguel’s 3-0 start despite George King pouring in a game-high 31 points. However, he also committed nine of the Beermen’s 18 turnovers, compounding the team’s poor shooting performance, particularly from three-point range, where it went just 6-of-23.San Miguel was also outrebounded, 52-46, missed 15 free throws, and was outscored by 13 points in second-chance opportunities.Coach Leo Austria made his first appearance of the conference but remained behind the bench as chief deputy Peter Martin continued to call the plays.June Mar Fajardo finished with 15 points before limping off the court with 1:08 remaining.CJ Perez, Jericho Cruz, and Jerrick Ahanmisi combined for just 12 points. / PBA / PNA