PBA: Ginebra pulls away from San Miguel for Game 1 win

MANILA, October 28 ------ Barangay Ginebra pulled away in the second half to defeat San Miguel Beer, 104-95, and take the early lead in their 2026 PBA Governors' Cup quarterfinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen were within striking distance, 76-70, after three quarters but went cold in the final frame. Ginebra led by as many as 20 points, 94-74, before a late push by San Miguel's bench mob made the final score more respectable. Import Jordan Murphy paced the Gin Kings with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Scottie Thompson sparked their breakaway en route to 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

Isaac Go earned Player of the Game honors after putting up 14 points and helping limit June Mar Fajardo to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field. The Beermen struggled on offense, making less than 40% of their field goals with import George King going 9-of-20 for 20 points. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Editor's note:

In other game, The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters overhauled a double-digit deficit to stun Converge, 124-120, in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series in the 2026 PBA Governors' Cup. The Elasto Painters trailed by 21 points but turned the game around in the second half, with Adrian Nocum and import Aaron Fuller leading the charge. Fuller top-scored for Rain or Shine with 33 points along with 14 rebounds, while Nocum added 26 points, nine assists and five rebounds, though he also committed eight of his team's 20 turnovers.

Clark had 28 points for the FiberXers, while Justin Arana added 21 points and Calvin Abueva scored 16. But their usually reliable guards were kept in check: Juan Gomez de Liano shot just 5-of-15 from the field for 13 points, while Alec Stockton was 3-of-12 for 12 points. Mikey Williams made just one of 12 attempts to score a paltry three markers. Game 2 of the series is on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com