THERE’S light at the end of the tunnel for Blackwater Elite.

Fighting with nothing at stake but pride, Blackwater brought down league leader Magnolia Pambansang Manok, 101-100, to snap a 29-game losing skid in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the win, the Bossing avoided what could have been the very first season shutout for any PBA franchise.

Overall, Blackwater finished with a 21-1 mark in the league’s 46th season interrupted several times by the coronavirus pandemic

The Dioceldo Sy-owned franchise last tasted victory with a 98-88 win over NLEX last Oct. 17, 2020

Despite failing to make the quarterfinals for the second straight conference, Sy showed up in the venue to show his support to the players.

“He (Sy) showed his commitment to the team. Out na at talunan na ang team, nandyan pa rin siya. I was happy the guys were able to respond,” said Blackwater coach Ariel Vanguardia in an interview posted at the official PBA website.

With three first-round picks in the coming PBA Rookie Draft, Vanguardia said he is looking forward to a better showing next season.

Said veteran Jvee Casio: “It’s a no-bearing game but we considered it as a game with much bearing for us. It’s for our team owner and the fans.”

“Everybody wanted to win from the team owner to the players to the support staff. It’s a hard season at nakakatuwa na nakuha namin ito for the franchise.

Import Shawn Glover carried the fight for Blackwater as he finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Rey Suerte added 16 points and Casio and Paras contributed 12 points each for Blackwater.

Barkley Ebona scored the go-ahead layup off a Paul Desiderio steal on Mark Barroca and Suerte made a game-saving block on Jackson Corpuz for the inspiring victory of Blackwater.

Despite the loss, Magnolia still finished as the top seed with a 9-2 win-loss card at the end of the elimination round.

The Hotshots enjoy twice-to-beat advantage against the No. 8 team.

The scores:

Blackwater (101).- Glover 33, Suerte 16, Casio 12, Paras 12, Ebona 8, Desiderio 8, McCarthy 6, Ayonayon 6, Melton 0, Amboludto 0, Washington 0, Amer 0.
Magnolia ( 100 ) – Barroca 27, Harris 21, Dionisio 14, Lee 12, Wong 7, Reavis 5, Sangalang 5, Dela Rosa 4, Brill 3, Ahanmisi 2, Corpuz 0, Escoto 0.
Quarterscores: 16-21, 48-45, 71-66, 101-100.