By WAYLON GALVEZ

Games Thursday (Filoil Flying V Centre)

8:30 a.m. – JRU vs Arellano (Junior’s)

10 a.m. – JRU vs Arellano (Men’s)

12 noon – JRU vs Arellano (Women’s)

2 p.m. – EAC vs St. Benilde (Women’s)

3:30 p.m. – EAC vs St. Benilde (Men’s)

5 p.m. – EAC vs St. Benilde (Junior’s)

Defending champion Arellano University and leader College of St. Benilde put their perfect records at stake when they face separate opponents in the NCAA Season 95 volleyball Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lady Blazers sport the league’s best record at 3-0, while the Lady Chiefs are tied with the San Beda Lady Red Spikers for second and third places with similar 2-0 cards.

Arellano tests the mettle of Jose Rizal University at 12 noon, while St. Benilde clashes with winless Emilio Aguinaldo College at 2 p.m.

Arellano head coach Obet Javier reminds his players to always bring their A-game.

“Isang pagkakamali lang, puwede kang malagay sa alanganin,” said Javier, whose team is gunning for a fourth straight title this season.

The Lady Chiefs won their opening game against the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates 27-25, 25-20, 25-20, and handed the Mapua Lady Cardinals a 25-13, 25-20, 25-12 defeat.

Ace spiker Regine Arocha has led the Lady Chiefs in scoring in the first couple of matches, while setter Sarah Verutiao has been doing solid playmaking.

The Lady Blazers, on the other hand, are tipped to prevail over the Lady Generals.

Dolly Verzosa and middle blockers Riza Rose and Sidney Niegos will lead JRU as it attempts to regain its winning ways after the Lady Bombers lost in five sets to the Lady Red Spikers earlier in the week.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

The Dallas Mavericks brought back one big man but lost another Tuesday night, and in the end, they couldn’t rein in the reigning Finals MVP.

Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points, Landry Shamet hit two clutch 3-pointers late and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-107 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.

Dallas ended a four-game winning streak, and more importantly, lost a key piece in center Dwight Powell just as they welcomed back Kristaps Porzingis.

Powell went down to a non-contact, right Achilles tendon injury in the first quarter, and though he will have an MRI on Wednesday, the team is fearing a worst-case scenario.

“Guys like him define the culture we want here,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “It doesn’t get much tougher than this, if it ends up being what we fear it might.”

Luka Doncic had 36 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Dallas. He scored 24 points in the second half to help rally the Mavericks after they trailed by double digits from late in the second quarter through most of the third.

Shamet helped the Clippers seize the game late in the fourth quarter. His 3 from the left wing to give Los Angeles a 100-98 lead with 2:48 to play. Montrezl Harrell added two free throws, then Shamet sank another 3 from straight-on to put the Clippers up by seven. He finished with 18 points.

“We just kind of found a way to win,” Shamet said. “We’d loved to keep that lead the whole game, but that’s not how it’s going to be. It’s a long season. We got to find different ways how to win like we did tonight.”

Leonard added 11 in the fourth quarter, including his only 3 of the game with 1:15 left, which put the Clippers up 108-100.

But Dallas rallied, as Doncic hit a 3 and Maxi Kleber a dunk. After a Clippers turnover, Tim Hardaway Jr.’s potential tying 3 spun around and out. JaMychal Green missed two free throws for LA, but then Doncic missed two — the second intentionally — and Leonard sealed it with two free throws.

POWELL’S INJURY

Powell went down when he started to drive toward the basket but his right leg gave out. He fell to the ground and immediately slapped the floor in pain. He was helped to the locker room putting no weight on his right leg.

Powell’s teammate JJ Barea — who tore his right Achilles tendon last season — was distraught as Powell was taken off the court.

Powell was averaging nearly 10 points a game in 39 games prior to the injury. With Porzingis out, Powell averaged 13 points over 10 games on 71% shooting.

With Powell out, Dallas got 16 valuable minutes from former Clipper Boban Marjanovic, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. His turnaround hook with 6:23 to play tied it at 90, capping a rally from a 14-point, second-half deficit.

KP RETURNS

Porzingis scored 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting in his return after missing 10 games with right knee soreness. He added nine rebounds, but after the game, he blamed himself for the Mavericks’ loss.

“If I played just a little bit better, we would have won the game,” Porzingis said. “This loss is on me. That’s how I feel. I know it’s my first game back but I have high expectations for myself and I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to shoot the ball better.”

LEONARD STEPS UP

With teammate Paul George out over the last six games, Leonard has averaged 36 and at least 30 in every game.

“We’ve been watching film together, seeing what mistakes we’ve been making,” Leonard said. “So everybody’s just giving the effort of their mind and body, wanting to compete, make winning plays and just be a better basketball team.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

Dallas center Dwight Powell sustained what the Mavericks fear is a “severe” injury to his right Achilles tendon in a 110-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

Coach Rick Carlisle said the club would wait on an MRI exam to determine the extent of the injury, but said the injury was “feared to be severe.”

Powell went down with a non-contact injury with 2:57 left in the first quarter. He was helped to the locker room while putting no weight on his right leg. Teammate J.J. Barea — who tore his right Achilles tendon last season — was distraught as Powell was taken off the court.

“It doesn’t get much tougher than this, if it ends up being what we fear it might,” Carlisle said. “But he will be back, regardless. There’s just some guys you just know, they have a level of resourcefulness, a level of fight in them. Barea’s one of them. Powell’s another. He’ll be back.”

Teammate Luka Doncic summed up a somber Mavericks’ locker room in talking about Powell’s presence on the team.

“Off the court and on the court, he gave us a lot,” Doncic said. “He’s a great guy. He doesn’t deserve this.”

The injury came on the same night 7-foot-3 forward Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing 10 games because of a sore right knee. Powell averaged 13 points on 71% shooting in the games Porzingis missed and was proving to be an effective sidekick. Both have been starters when healthy.

Porzingis can relate to Powell, as he came back this year after missing a season-and-a-half with a torn ACL.

“Dwight has a really good mindset, a really strong mindset,” Porzingis said. “He’s going to be fine throughout the rehab if we get the worst news. He’ll be around, I’m sure. He’s great for the locker room. He’s great for the culture that we’re trying to create.”

Powell, in his sixth season in the NBA, has averaged nearly 10 points and six rebounds a game in 39 previous games. He had increased his scoring average over each of his first five seasons.

Powell has played all but five of his 371 career games for the Mavericks, arriving from Boston in a five-player trade in December 2014 that also brought point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo’s style clashed with Carlisle, but Powell’s energy and productivity in the paint has made him a favorite of the coach.

“He is a constant,” Carlisle said. “He’s a constant team-first guy. He’s a constant worker. He’s a constant everything. Guys like him define the culture that we want here.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Far Eastern University-Diliman crushed University of the East 70-46 on Wednesday and booked a semifinal berth in UAAP boys basketball at The Arena in San Juan City.

Patrick Sleat fired 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished off three assists to lead the Baby Tamaraws to their ninth win in 10 games, joining unbeaten National University-Nazareth School (9-0) into the next phase.

Chiolo Anonuevo added nine points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Aeron Bagunu chipped in nine points and four boards.

RoyceMantua also had nine points, all coming from behind the arc.

The Junior Warriors skidded to their seventh loss against three victories despite Cyrus Austria pumping in 21 points and hauling 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Ateneo bolstered its Final Four bid with a 104-84 demolition of University of the Philippines Integrated School to improve to 5-5 at fourth.

Five players scored in double figures for the Blue Eaglets, with Josh Lazaro erupting for 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Joaquin Jaymalin adding 15 points and eight boards.

Francis Lopez scored 13 points and six rebounds, while Miggy Salvador and Gabby Salvador contributed 11 points apiece.

Ateneo pulled away from a 21-20 first quarter lead to 77-62 at the end of the third, outscoring UPIS 29-18 in one stretch.

UPIS absorbed its 10^th straight defeat despite Ray Torres and Jean Canillas scoring 26 and 15 points.

Later in the day, National University-Nazareth School blasted De La Salle Zobel 100-76 to remain unscathed in 10 games.

Kevin Quiambao fueled the Bullpups with 21 points and 15 rebounds while Terrence Fortea erupted for 20 points.

University of Santo Tomas also barged into the winning column with an 88-80 win over Adamson for 6-4 at solo third.

Bismarck Lina scored a season-high24 points and 10 rebounds while Jacob Cortez added 19 points.

La Salle Zobel and Adamson fell to 3-7 and 4-6.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Match winner Stephan Schrock praised the resolve showed by Ceres-Negros in claiming a spot in the playoff round of the AFC Champions League via Tuesday night’s 1-0 upset of Thai club Port FC.

Schrock came through with the only goal of the match in the 51st minute, giving the Busmen the victory over Port before stunned fans at the PAT Stadium in Bangkok.

“I’m very happy and very proud of what we’ve done,” Schrock said. “It’s not only the goal but it’s the way we helped each other.

“Obviously the legs were gone after 60-70 minutes for most of us, but we can be very proud of that. We are always capable of producing an upset, we believed in us, we worked for this and congratulations to our team,” he added.

The win put Ceres one win shy of making the group stage of the top-tier Asian club competition.

But if beating Port, which finished third in last year’s Thai League 1 table, Ceres will be up for its toughest test yet.

Ceres will face FC Tokyo in next week’s playoff round at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the Japanese capital. The Gas Men placed second in last season’s J-League, one of Asia’s biggest leagues.

No Filipino club has ever reached the Champions League group stage.

Schrock’s goal came in unexpected fashion, replicating the one he scored for the Philippines against Malaysia in the recent Southeast Asian Games.

The star midfielder took a short corner from Mike Ott before his cross hit Port goalkeeper Worawut Srisupa.

Worawut tried for a split-second to bat it away but his efforts went futile as the ball went past the goal line.

“We had some ideas in the set piece and we wanted to execute on one of them,” said Schrock. “I actually misinterpreted the sign of Mikey (Ott) so it was the wrong decision. Luckily, it turns out well for me.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The Asia-Oceania boxing qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics have been cancelled owing to the worsening pneumonia outbreak in the host city of Wuhan.

The qualification tournament was scheduled Feb. 3 to 14 but organizers decided on Wednesday that it will no longer proceed and that a new venue will be named soon.

The Philippines is bidding to assume the hosting rights after the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee, informing the body of its desire to host.

The ABAP said Manila, Baguio and the boxing hotbed of Cebu are perfect venues to stage the qualifiers, one of five that will be taking place across the globe.

There are already nine reported deaths in China as confirmed cases have been reported in the US, Thailand, Taiwan and Korea.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Stanley Pringle is grateful of his PBA beginnings after finally winning the championship as a major contributor of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s title run in the Governors’ Cup.

Pringle said his 4 1/2-year stint with the GlobalPort/NorthPort Batang Pier franchise gave him the opportunity to not only blossom as one of the league’s best players but also play an integral role in Ginebra’s victory over Meralco in the just-concluded Finals.

“Just playing with them at NorthPort, the whole time really helped me grow in areas of my game,” Pringle said of his 4 1/2-year stint with the Batang Pier.

“I was definitely one of the scorers there, just like I am at Ginebra, just the fast-paced speed at NorthPort helped me get to Ginebra and kinda spark the fast break over there so that was definitely big,” added Pringle.

The speedy guard was the Batang Pier’s top overall pick in the 2014 Draft, eventually Rookie of the Year honors while forming a backcourt tandem with Terrence Romeo.

He made his only semifinal appearance for the Batang Pier during the 2016 Philippine Cup but lost in five games to the Alaska Aces.

It was also with the Batang Pier that Pringle scored a career-high 50 points in a June 2018 win over the Columbian Dyip.

The output made Pringle the first local player since Asi Taulava in 2004 to reach the half-century mark.

His time at NorthPort ended last June when Pringle was shipped to Ginebra in exchange for Sol Mercado, Jervy Cruz and Kevin Ferrer.

The deal made Ginebra an even-stronger team, particularly at the backcourt position as Pringle became one of the orchestrators of the Ginebra attack.

Pringle showed why during the Finals, averaging 18.4 points on a .468 shooting clip with 6.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

But even after savoring the taste of lifting the championship trophy, Pringle couldn’t help but be reflective of his NorthPort comrades.

“Those are my brothers over there, still,” he said. “I just got traded here last conference so we still talk. Definitely, they have been nothing but a blessing to me as far as trying to win a championship.

“I wish them the best too. I know they gonna keep working hard, and they call me anytime they want.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The country’s top sports officials get the lowdown on what would it take for the Philippines to send as many qualifiers to the Tokyo Olympics when they meet with national sports association heads Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Around 20-25 NSA leaders are attending the dialogue at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) headquarters with chief of mission Nonong Araneta presiding over the affair that starts at 10 am, PSC national training director Marc Velasco said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at the Amelie Hotel in Ermita, Manila.

“This will be a very crucial meeting,” said Velasco.

“We’d know the bulk of the Olympic program (of the NSAs during the meeting),” he added.

Araneta will be joined by PSC chairman Butch Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino, who are expected to play a vital role in the runup to the July 24 to Aug. 9 Olympics.

There will be 33 sports that will be played in Tokyo and 339 gold medals at stake but the Philippines won’t be sending athletes in all of these since there will be continental qualifiers taking place in the next few months.

Malacanang has assured the PSC that it has earmarked P100 million to support the national athletes’ bid to make the Olympic grade.

The PSC also has a separate budget for the program and it will be used to bolster the Olympic drive as the Philippines attempts anew to put an end to the century-old elusive gold medal hunt.

The last time in Rio, lifter Hidilyn Diaz brought home a silver medal, bringing the number of silver won by the Philippines to three to go with the two boxing bagged in 1964 in Tokyo and 1996 in Atlanta.

Apart from the three silver medals, seven bronzes also make up the Philippines’ paltry collection that came from boxing (3), athletics (2) and swimming (2).

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Stephan Schrock scored a second half to give Ceres-Negros a stunning 1-0 win over Thailand’s Port FC and advance to the playoff round of the AFC Champions League Tuesday at the PAT Stadium in Bangkok.

Schrock’s scored the eventual winner in the 51st minute to put the Busmen one victory from claiming a historic berth in Asia’s premier club competition.

The star midfielder produced the only goal of the match when he sent a cross that hit Port keeper Worawut Srisupa, whose attempt to bat the ball away went futile.

Behind Schrock’s goal, Ceres earned the right to face FC Tokyo in next week’s playoff at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the Japanese capital.

It will be the second time that the Busmen reached the Champions League playoff round, losing to Tianjin Quanjian two years ago in China.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Betheena Unite

Health officials from the World Health Organization and Department of Health opted not to issue a recommendation on whether or not the Philippine boxing team should travel to Wuhan, China for the Asia and Oceania boxing qualifiers in February amid the spread of coronavirus.

It’s too early to make a recommendation regarding the national team’s trip to Wuhan, where the mysterious virus reportedly originated and has affected over 200 patients as of present, World Health Organization (WHO) country representative Rabinra Abeyasinghe said in a press briefing Tuesday.

Filipino boxers are set to see action in the Asia and Oceania boxing qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in February 3 to 14 in Wuhan. Currently, there is no advisory from the host country on whether or not the qualifiers will push through.

“As I have mentioned to the DOH, the evidence is emerging very fast so February 3 is two weeks away so it may be premature for us to now come up with a recommendation,” Abeyasinghe said

“We have rapidly beginning to understand how to respond and how to handle this but as we mentioned early on, the information is still not complete so let’s wait,” Abeyasinghe added.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III bared that they are investigating a suspected case of 2019-novel corona virus (2019-nCov) involving a Chinese boy from Wuhan, China, who arrived into the country last week.

Test are being done to identify which specific virus is present on the samples from the five-year-old child. The test will also determine whether the virus is the 2019-novel corona virus, which have infected more than 200 Chinese patients.

“We have more time. Once we have a clearer understanding and a picture, we could make a decision regarding the travel,” the WHO representative furthered.

The governnmemt has yet to issue a travel advisory on travelers going to China but it has strengthened border surveillance on airports.

Source: Manila Bulletin