By Jonas Terrado

Gilas Pilipinas Women Coach Pat Aquino believes the series of lopsided defeats in the recent FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament will help toughen up the national cagebelles in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

The Philippines lost by an average margin of 58 points against host New Zealand, South Korea and China during the competition held in Auckland but Aquino said facing crack Asian teams will benefit the team as it enters the final phase of preparation.

“I know the result wasn’t in our favor but overall okay naman tayo,” Aquino said. “We were able to compete with the best and alam namin kung saan kami kulang at saan kami may advantage.”

Afril Bernardino emerged as the topscorer of the team during the tourney with an average of 14.7 points, Janine Pontejos produced 14.3 points while Jack Animan tallied 7.0 rebounds for Gilas.

Gilas is looking to take advantage of the homecourt advantage in hopes of winning its first gold in the women’s basketball competitions of the biennial meet.

The Pinay cagers settled for silver six times, including the 2011 Indonesia and 2013 Nay Pyi Taw Games but failed to reach the podium in the last two editions.

Six teams are set to compete in the games that will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Malaysia, which won the last two editions, five-time winner Thailand and Indonesia are expected to give the hosts a hard time.

The Malaysians also benefited from the recent Olympic Pre-Qualifier, having played in the other group stage held in Kuala Lumpur.

Also part of the competition are Singapore and Vietnam. The top team after the single-round robin will win the gold.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Aquino. “I think everybody has adjusted with their lineup.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — With Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Lou Williams on the court, the Boston Celtics had to pick someone to leave unguarded.

They chose Patrick Beverley and he made them pay.

Beverley shined on both ends, playing his usual ornery defense while scoring 14 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers win 107-104 in overtime with Leonard and George playing together for the first time Wednesday night.

“If I was a coach, I’d leave me open all the time,” Beverley said.

Williams scored 27 points, George added 25 and Leonard had 17 for the Clippers, who improved to 9-1 at home after rallying from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

In their first season with Los Angeles, injury and rehab had prevented Leonard and George from playing alongside each other for the first 14 games.

“It’s still tough,” said Leonard, who missed the previous three games with a sore knee. “We’re both on kind of minute restrictions so it’s hard to get a flow.”

George said he and Leonard are trying to get in sync with their other teammates.

“We’re going to have growing pains,” he said. “The great thing about myself and Kawhi is it doesn’t matter, we’re going to play basketball. Try to make the right plays and play off each other and just keep the game flowing. I thought in that aspect we were good.”

It was a wild and sloppy game for both teams. The Clippers committed 23 turnovers (Williams had seven while Leonard and George had five each) to 17 for the Celtics.

“That was an ugly win, but it was beautiful,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.

Leonard blocked Kemba Walker’s potential tying 3-point attempt in the left corner.

“He got enough separation to get it off against most of the league,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “The problem is, that guy’s not normal. He’s not most of the league, and he made a great play to block it.”

In overtime, George hit a 3-pointer after he missed his first attempt and Beverley got the offensive rebound, then George fed Beverley for a 3 of his own. George’s free throw on a technical foul against Stevens completed a run of seven straight points, and the Clippers led 104-99.

“He literally singlehandedly willed that game with his effort, rebounding, making plays,” Rivers said of Beverley, who got the game ball. “He’s a tough kid.”

The Celtics pulled to 104-102 on Jayson Tatum’s basket after a wild sequence in which bodies crashed to the floor as both teams chased a loose ball before Boston got possession.

“Defensive mistakes, costly turnovers,” Tatum said. “If we would have won it still would have been a learning experience.”

Beverley hit a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Clippers’ bench for 107-102 lead, revving up Los Angeles fans and quieting the large contingent of Celtics fans in the stands.

“It was a playoff atmosphere,” said Marcus Smart, who had 14 points for Boston.

Tatum’s basket left the Celtics down by three. Walker, who had 13 points, got free in the corner for the last shot but Leonard leaped to deflect it.

Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points and Brad Wanamaker added 14.

Williams hit a go-ahead 3 with 31 seconds remaining in regulation.

With the crowd on its feet shouting “Defense! Defense!” Williams stole the ball at the other end and got fouled, making both for a 97-94 lead.

After a timeout, Tatum hit a 3-pointer with George falling down defending him to tie it 97-all with 13 seconds left.
Leonard’s potential game-winning 3 rattled in and out as regulation ended.

“We’ve got some kinks to work out,” Williams said. “Just understanding what everybody brings to the table.”
The Celtics led by 10 early in the fourth but got outscored 13-7 over the final 3:16.

Boston missed 17 of 18 3-pointers in the first half. The Celtics then made seven 3s in the third quarter, with Tatum hitting four, to go into the fourth leading 75-69.

Walker’s 3-pointer pushed the Celtics to their largest lead, 86-76, in the fourth. The Clippers ran off eight points in a row, getting 3s from Beverley and Williams, to trail 86-84.

Neither team led by more than 10 points in the game.

Leonard and George combined to score the Clippers’ first 11 points of the third for a 51-45 lead.

That’s when the Celtics kicked in from long range, with Tatum hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and Walker following with another. Tatum connected on consecutive 3s later in the period, too.

Source: Manila Bulletin

University of Santo Tomas turned a heartbreaking loss into another championship, taking down rival National University 2-1 in the best-of-three Finals Wednesday at the Blue Eagle Gym.

This is the Tiger Paddlers’ second straight championship and 28th overall.

Graduating senior Raymark Mabuang closed out both the second and third ties of the championship to gift the UST the record-setting plum.

The Thomasian standout took down Romualdo Ramiro Jr. in a match that ended at 12-10, before taking another four-set win over Louis Llamas in that final tie.

For his valiant stand, Mabuang was later adjudged the Most Valuable Player.

The doubles tandem of Mcleen Dizon and Prince Garcia was the difference in both the won ties as they turned it around with wins for the 2-1 leads for UST.

The Thomasians came back from a set down and swept Franz Mogol and Harold Celeridad after the break. They then dominated Jon Sinchongco and Celeridad in just three sets later that afternoon.

Long-time mentor Jackson Que was proud that his team came up with another championship. “Two months before the UAAP, talagang nagbago tayo ng lineup agad. So, nasira yung plan natin,” he shared.

“Pero thank God, nabuo pa rin yung team at nagperform pa rin yung mga players.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

University of Santo Tomas needed to fend off first-time finalist Ateneo in two grueling ties to bag their 13th UAAP women’s table tennis title Wednesday at the Blue Eagle Gym.

“Masaya kasi ang pinaka-aim ng UST is mag-champion both men’s and women’s. And the women’s they did not let it go; fight pa rin sila kahit lamang na yung kalaban,” said head coach Lorinda Wadjad.

And they needed to dig deep to outlast the Lady Eagles.

Tigress Paddler Danica Alburo turned back two match points from Lady Eagle Kathleene Bulaquena to eventually took the win for UST at 14-12 in the fifth set of the deciding singles match at the afternoon’s tie.

Ateneo earlier threatened to extend the series as eventual-Rookie of the Year Kaela Aguilar and fellow newbie Ann Borbon put their squad up 2-0. Aguilar outlasted Sherlyn Gabisay in five sets, while Borbon edged out Ciara Derecho in four.

Leigh Villanueva and Emery Digamon pulled through for the Tigresses in the doubles match at 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, and set up the stage for a comeback for Shaeena Ronquillo and Alburo.

Ronquillo earlier denied Bulaquena in the morning’s deciding singles match at 11-9 in the fifth game to take the 1-0 series lead for UST.

With her wins and more importantly her leadership, sophomore team captain Gabisay bagged the Most Valuable Player award.

“Pinag-aralan namin yung lineup na we could not just assign anybody [in order] to beat Ateneo,” shared Wadjad about the clashes they had with Ateneo.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Dreams came true for coach Tab Baldwin and the Ateneo Blue Eagles when they hoisted the UAAP season 82 men’s basketball championship trophy Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Blue Eagles captured their third straight title in historic fashion, capping off the season undefeated in all 16 games including a sweep of the best-of-three finals against University of Santo Tomas.

“The 16-0 season is really something that we dreamed about,” Baldwin said. “We didn’t talk a lot about it because we never wanted to set that as a goal. But I know that the players particularly dream about it.

“It is a dream season to go through unblemished, to be able to say to each one of those 16 days, no team was better than us.”

No team was indeed better than Ateneo this season, slaying its opponents with an average margin of 16.5 points.

Twice, UST came close to tainting Ateneo’s record – the second during the Eagles’ 86-79 Game 2 victory where the Tigers came breathtakingly close at 67-66 early in the fourth quarter.

But the Eagles responded to the challenge and came out victorious.

Baldwin said he has high respects for the Tigers and their coach, Aldin Ayo.

“What kind of fool would I be if I didn’t respect what he (Ayo) puts on the court?” he said.

“I think with all the teams that we’ve played, they’re (UST) probably the one team that tries to impose themselves on us. Most of the other teams were trying to defend themselves from us imposing ourselves on them, but Aldin and his team, they come out to attack.”

With the battle over, Baldwin wants to savor the rewards and the time spent with his players, particularly graduating seniors Thirdy Ravena, Mike and Matt Nieto, Isaac Go and Adrian Wong.

“They’re special, incredible guys. I remember looking at them four years ago and thinking, these guys are going to lead this team into the future. These guys are my friends for life,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Two top Filipino punchers booked to figure in key fights on Dec. 7 – world champion Jerwin Ancajas in Puebla, Mexico and ex-world titleholder Marlon Tapales in Brooklyn, New York – intensified their respective buildups during a workout in Carson, California.

Ancajas makes the eighth defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight crown against Miguel Gonzalez of Chile at the Auditorio GNP Seguros.

Tapales, formerly the World Boxing Organization bantamweight ruler, clashes with fellow former world champion Ryosuke Iwasa of Japan at the Barclays Center for the interim IBF super-bantam belt.

“Solid sparring,” said MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, who arrived in time at the Rock Gym in Carson, to watch the heated session.“Good work.”

Ancajas was supposed to battle Mexican Jonathan Rodriguez last Nov. 2 in Carson but Rodriguez could not make it in time, forcing Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. to scrap the fight and reschedule it in Mexico underneath an Emanuel Navarrete headliner.

Tapales’ bout with Iwasa will be his third straight appearance on US soil.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

University of Santo Tomas may have eclipsed last season’s performance in UAAP men’s basketball, but coach Aldin Ayo said it hurts to come this close to winning the title only to fall short.

The Tigers yielded to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the best-of-three finals, bowing 91-77 in Game 1 and 86-79 in Game 2.

It was a far cry from their sixth place finish last season, where they barely made it to the Final Four with a 5-9 record. But the pain lingers.

“In a way (we overachieved), but I told the kids na it is more painful to lose in the finals than not making it to the Final Four,” Ayo said.

“I told them na dumating na kami dito sa finals, we need to make sure that we are up to it. Mas masakit ito.”

The title defeat, however, was something that Ayo would like his players to treasure. The finals experience – the school’s first since 2015 – opened doors to improvement for him, his coaching staff and his players composed mostly of rookies.

“Ito yung sakit na for sure matututo kami,” he said. “Next season, madadala namin yung experience na to kasi kung ano yung mga kulang namin ngayon, yun yung tatrabahuhin namin.”

Ayo is hopeful they will thrive in the future, and credited Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin’s presence in the league for challenging local mentors like him.

“Meron siyang (Baldwin) spot na nakuha na coach but lots of coaches here in the Philippines are learning from him,” he said.

“Like yung approach sa laro. The x and o’s. Ang dami mong natututunan eh. Because every time you compete (against him and his team), nakikita mo yung ginagawa niya. And every time, natututo ka.”

The Tigers may be licking their wounds now, but Ayo knows they will be back with a louder growl.

“We always want to improve. Our mindset is, even if we made it here (in the finals), madami pa kaming kulang at dapat trabahuin. We’ll make sure that we’ll learn from this,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

History could repeat itself for the Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beermen as they will have to hurdle the dreaded twice-to-beat disadvantage against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.

The Beermen suffered the consequence of an internal squabble that rocked the team over the weekend by finishing fifth in the eliminations following a loss to TNT KaTropa on Wednesday.

By going 2-5 after a 4-0 start along with the indefinite suspensions of Arwind Santos, Kelly Nabong and Ronald Tubid and the departure of import Dez Wells for their roles in a fight that marred Sunday’s practice, SMB is now on a slippery slope.

“Dito mate-test yung character namin,” said June Mar Fajardo as the Beermen prepare for the clash with Ginebra on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The bitter memories of a failed Grand Slam bid from recent memory are still fresh in the mind for many.

SMB claimed the first two conferences of 2017, only to encounter import problems in the Governors’ Cup to finish sixth in the eliminations.

It didn’t take long before Ginebra put San Miguel’s Grand Slam ambitions to dust with a convincing win in the quarters.

Two years later, the Beermen are in a similar predicament. The only question now is the ending.

“It’s a harder road now, but we still have enough talent to do it so I’m still confident,” said import John Holland, who was initially tapped to fill-in for Wells, then dealing with an ankle injury.

But with Wells gone, Holland acknowledged that he has a bigger responsibility, though he is far from worried that the losses of the three players may hurt their chances of survival.

“I still think that no matter what team we play, we have a good chance. Now it’s just a little harder, we just need to win two games. It’s alright,” added Holland.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Armando Fenequito Jr.

DAVAO CITY – In response to a former athlete’s critical tweet, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez asserts that the government is spending adequate funds for the nation’s athletes.

Ramirez said in an interview that the government has already provided over P1 billion for the international exposure and training of the athletes, and P200 million for equipment and sports facilities.

“The PSC is targeting SEAG Games up to Olympics and we already spent more than P1 billion for the athletes,” he said.

He added that the meal allowance of each athlete was also increased to P25,000 from P5,000.

Ramirez was responding to former Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) karatedo gold medalist Gretchen Malalad who criticized the government for allotting P50 million for a cauldron to be used at the Games.

In her post on Twitter, Malalad said: “‘Walang budget! Walang budget! Hindi na approve.’ Yan lagi naririnig ng mga atleta kapag nagrequest ng funds for training at exposure abroad. Pero may budget ang gobyerno para sa 50M na kaldero.” (‘No budget! It wasn’t approved!’ That’s always what athletes hear when they request for funds for training and exposure abroad. But the government has the budget for a cauldron worth P50 million.)

Ramirez opted not to comment on the issue of the cauldron, saying the structure is under the jurisdiction of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

ANTIPOLO CITY — San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria said management’s decision to suspend Arwind Santos, Kelly Nabong and Ronald Tubid indefinitely should serve as a strong reminder for the team still reeling from a fight that marred a recent practice session.

The Beermen broke their silence hours before Wednesday’s 114-109 loss to TNT KaTropa at the Ynares Center here by sanctioning the three players for their role in the incident that also involved now former import Dez Wells at the Upper Deck Sports Center.

Santos, Nabong, Tubid and Wells came to a blows during the biggest controversy to hit the Beermen since the “Petronovela” days.

Wells, who missed the last two games due to an ankle injury that prompted SMB to tap John Holland, left the country Tuesday according to sources.

“We have to accept the reality because we cannot tolerate the incident that happened to us,” Austria told reporters after the game. “And although it’s internal, that’s what the organization stands for. Talagang we have to do something that could give us some reminder, strong signal that nobody’s above the policy of the company.”

SMB missed out on a twice-to-beat advantage in the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals after finishing the elimination round in fifth place at 6-5, giving the team another obstacle to hurdle.

The Beermen face fourth seed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the quarterfinals which starts Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

SMB almost stole the twice-to-beat from TNT when it rallied from 18 points down to take a 108-107 lead in the final minute on import John Holland’s three.

But TNT reinforcement KJ McDaniels answered with a three before SMB blew a chance to reclaim the lead seconds later after missed one-hander by June Mar Fajardo.

Source: Manila Bulletin