MAGNOLIA completed a sweep of Barangay Ginebra in their two-game series in Group B of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup eliminations with a 112-93 victory Sunday night, Oct. 11, 2026, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots also clinched a quarterfinal berth with the win, their fifth straight in the season-ending conference.
Coach LA Tenorio’s charges, who beat the Gin Kings, 88-73, in their first meeting on Aug. 2, improved to 6-3 and remained atop Group B with one game left in the elimination round, against second-running Rain or Shine (4-3) on Oct. 21.
Magnolia handed Ginebra a setback just two nights after the latter routed Rain or Shine, 129-111.
The loss dropped the Gin Kings to fifth place at 3-5, behind idle Blackwater (3-4), as they continued their push for a spot in the top four.
“We really focused on defending the execution of Ginebra,” said Tenorio, whose team held the Gin Kings to 38.2 percent shooting from the field while making 50.6 percent of its own shots.
“I was watching their game against Rain or Shine and I told the team that the Ginebra I saw there was the Ginebra I saw whenever they’re playing in the championship. They’re scary. So I challenged the players against this disciplined, well-coached team, and they responded,” he added.
Zav Lucero led Magnolia with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in a balanced offensive effort.
Jerom Lastimosa added 16 points, Mark Barroca had 15, import KJ Buffen posted 14 points and 10 rebounds, Peter Alfaro contributed 12, and Ian Sangalang finished with 10.
Jordan Murphy paced Ginebra with 18 points and seven rebounds, falling short of his 30-point, 13-rebound output in his debut against Rain or Shine.
Converge into quarters
JUAN Gomez de Liano marked a career milestone in the PBA with another triple-double earlier Sunday, leading Converge to a 152-119 rout of Titan Ultra and a quarterfinal berth.
Gomez de Liano tallied 32 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists for his fourth career triple-double. The feat came exactly one year after he recorded his first triple-double against the same team in the season-opening Philippine Cup.
Cameron Clark overcame early foul trouble to finish with 30 points, while Justine Baltazar posted a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The victory lifted Converge to a 6-4 record, tying the FiberXers with idle TNT for third place in Group A. / PBA.PH