JORDAN Varnado matched his PBA debut output of 31 points to lead Meralco to a 120-115 victory over Blackwater in the PBA Governors’ Cup on Tuesday night, Oct. 13, 2026, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Varnado also had seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks without committing a turnover as the Bolts secured their second straight win.
Meralco appeared headed for a comfortable victory after building a 20-point lead and taking an 11-point cushion, 97-86, into the fourth quarter. However, Sedrick Barefield erupted for a conference-high 31 points to spark
Blackwater’s comeback.
The Bossing eventually grabbed a 113-111 lead with 1:44 remaining, but Varnado and Chris Newsome stepped up in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.
Newsome finished with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Bong Quinto added 15 points, while Cliff Hodge contributed 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Jason Brickman had 10 points and
six assists.
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo credited his players for staying composed while acknowledging Blackwater’s adjustments.
“It had been a long time since we played and a lot of heroes from us in this game,” said Trillo in mixed English and Tagalog. “Credit to Blackwater. They went small ball and used players who can switch. It worked and they were able to catch up.”
The result was a repeat of Meralco’s 116-114 squeaker over the same Blackwater squad in their
previous meeting.
Meralco improved to 4-5 in Group B, moving into fourth spot behind Magnolia (6-3), Rain or Shine (4-3) and Phoenix (4-3). Blackwater fell to 3-5, tied with
Barangay Ginebra.
As Varnado put it: “We still have the opportunity and it’s not yet over.”
TNT dumps Macau
Calvin Oftana and Jio Jalalon led the TNT Tropang 5G to a 142-87 rout of Macau earlier in the curtain-raiser, providing a winning return for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and fellow returnees Poy Erram and Kim Aurin.
Oftana scored 28 points, while Jalalon recorded a triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists as TNT overwhelmed Macau.
Hollis-Jefferson, who had been sidelined by an Achilles tear since December 2025, marked his return with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Erram and Aurin combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds.
The victory jacked TNT’s Group A record to 7-4 ahead of its much-anticipated rematch with fellow quarterfinalist Converge on Sunday, Oct. 18.
TNT’s 55-point winning margin set a franchise record and a personal best for head coach Chot Reyes in the PBA. However, it fell short of the league’s biggest winning margin of 60 points, set by NLEX against Macau on Oct. 7.
/ PBA.PH