The Blackwater Elite is scheduled for a head-to-head game against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 10 AM on November 3, 2020 live from the AUF Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga.
With a new set of protocols recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) bubble will once again push through, with the current rank no. 8 team Blackwater Elite going up against the defending champion San Miguel Beermen in the opening matches of the rare quadruple-header on Tuesday.
On October 22, the Elite, currently with a 2-3 win-loss card, came up short against a Jayson Castro-less TNT Tropang Giga, 109-96.
Despite leading all scorers with 23 points to pace Blackwater, Don Trollano doesn’t have much of a help from his teammates, with only two Elites scoring in double figures: Mac Belo (15) and Mike Tolomia (12).
Proving that they are the team to beat in the PBA bubble, RR Pogoy (20), Bobby Ray Parks (18), Troy Rosario (17), Simon Enciso (16) and Poy Erram (14) all scored in double digits to keep TNT’s authoritative grip in the no. 1 spot in the standings.
The Elite have now lost their last two outings by an average margin of 25.5 points.
Meanwhile, defending champion San Miguel Beer (SMB) came back to beat Meralco Bolts, 89-82, for its third straight win in the bubble.
From 13 points down in the third quarter, SMB came back strong in the final frame with their hot outside shooting. Mo Tautuaa led San Miguel with 23 points while Arwind Santos posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games.
Meanwhile, Alex Cabagnot had nine of 13 markers in the final quarter while Chris Ross also finished in double figures with 12 points.
“Even though we trailed by double figures, we didn’t lose hope,” said coach Leo Austria afterward.
San Miguel has now won three straight to improve to a 4-2 card in a tie for third place with Barangay Ginebra.
With their current win-loss record, Blackwater is now in a must-win situation, while a victory for San Miguel would further solidify their hold to a twice-to-beat advantage coming to the PBA bubble quarter-finals.