Pat Aquino’s first win sparks momentum as Blackwater outlasts San Miguel 

Pat Aquino didn’t just earn his first victory as Blackwater head coach—he may have uncovered the identity his team has been searching for in all conferences.

In a game that tested both composure and conviction, the Bossing outdueled powerhouse San Miguel, 126-120, Wednesday night to finally halt a four-game slide in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign.

The breakthrough didn’t come easy. Aquino had inherited a team reeling from back-to-back blowouts and still finding its footing under new leadership. 

His first two games in charge only added to the frustration—a narrow loss to TNT and a lopsided defeat to Phoenix stretched the skid. But instead of unraveling, Blackwater leaned in.

“One for the books, of course. So tough,” Aquino described their breakthrough.

That toughness was on full display against San Miguel, a team known for punishing lapses and staging comebacks. 

Blackwater built a lead as big as 22, only to see it slowly erased as the Beermen clawed back and even briefly seized control in the fourth quarter.

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Blackwater pulls off an upset over SMB!#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/x3ZZslxyD4

— PBA (@pbaconnect) April 22, 2026

Aquino, however, had already prepared his players for that exact moment.

“I told them they’re gonna come back. This is a champion team, and Coach Leo is a champion coach. They’re gonna pull everything on us to get back at us. I just told the boys to never stop playing,” he explained.

Import Robert Upshaw III anchored the charge with a dominant 35-point, 17-rebound, and five-assist performance, while Sedrick Barefield added 29 points and Christian David chipped in 15 points.

On the other side, Bennie Boatwright did everything he could to give San Miguel their win, finishing with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, but Blackwater’s resilience proved stronger in the end.

For Aquino, the win was more than a number in the standings, it was validation of patience, both his and the team’s.

“A lot of challenges. A lot of good coaches around the league. And this is professional. We have to be professionals in a way that we gotta deal with it na talagang you have to perform and do your best all the time,” the 54-year-old mentor said.

The locker room celebration that followed, complete with a well-earned drenching for their new coach, captured a team rediscovering belief. Still, reality quickly set in.

Blackwater players give coach Pat Aquino a victory shower after his first-ever PBA win at the expense of San Miguel Beer | @jonasterradoINQ pic.twitter.com/gaErl1MFpf

— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) April 22, 2026

At 2-6, Blackwater remains on the outside looking in, needing a near-perfect finish in its final four games to stay in the playoff hunt. And the road doesn’t get any easier, with Barangay Ginebra up next in a grueling back-to-back.

For Aquino, though, that challenge carries a personal layer. “It’s gonna be hard for us because it’s back-to-back games against another champion, and of course, my idol Tim Cone,” the veteran coach expressed.

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