MINUS leading scorer Zav Lucero, Magnolia proved its depth is more than just talk.
Javi Gomez de Liaño fired a team-high 19 points, while Peter Alfaro III led a bench mob that delivered in a big way as the Hotshots outlasted Rain or Shine, 107-103, to secure the No. 1 seeding in Group B of the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, at the Ynares Center
in Antipolo.
With the starters getting a well-deserved rest in their final elims game, it was the next-man-up crew that took charge for Magnolia, closing out the eliminations with
a 7-3 card.
Gomez de Liaño set the tone with an efficient 19-point outing built on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Alfaro came off the bench with 17, Jeron Lastimosa added 16, and Yukien Andrada chipped in 11 — three reserves in double figures.
Even import KJ Buffen, who logged just 16 minutes, made his presence felt with 16 markers, six rebounds and three assists.
“That’s what I always tell the team – it doesn’t matter who’s on the floor, should be ready to play,” said Magnolia coach LA Tenorio. “Everybody practices the same. Everybody works hard in practice, so everybody knows the system. So I won’t be surprised that when they are fielded in the game, they can make an impact.”
“We rested the starters and our off-the-bench players played like starters. That’s what’s good about our team, that’s the culture,” he added.
Rain or Shine, which got 25 points from Adrian Nocum and 18 from import Aaron Fuller, fell into a tie for second with Phoenix Super LPG at 5-4.
The two teams will fight for second place in the group at the close of the elims Friday at the same Antipolo venue.
Meanwhile, the last quarterfinal berth in Group B is still being disputed by Barangay Ginebra (4-5), Meralco (4-6) and Blackwater (3-6).
In Group A, the cast is already set: NLEX at No. 1, San Miguel Beer at No. 2, Converge at No. 3 and TNT at No. 4. / PBA.PH