By Waylon Galvez

Games Saturday (The Arena San Juan)

4 p.m. – BanKo-Perlas vs Motolite

6 p.m. – Creamline vs PetroGazz

Defending champion Creamline shoots for the title in record fashion when it faces the PetroGazz Angels in Game 2 of the PVL Open Conference Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.

The Cool Smashers, dominated the elimination round with a perfect 16-0 record before it cruised in the semifinals with a 2-0 sweep of Motolite, won the series opener last Wednesday.

Alyssa Valdez, a member of the national team in the 30th Southeast Asian Games this month, led the charge 25-14, 25-22, 27-25 that moved them a win away from recording the first ever undefeated campaign in the tournament.
Creamline hopes to end their series with PetroGazz in the 6 p.m. match.

“This is the Finals. We expect nothing but an all-out game from both sides,” said Valdez, who delivered a sterling performance in Game 1 last Wednesday with 17 kills and two aces.

Jema Galanza also had a solid outing with 15 hits, the same with Michele Gumabao, who added 10 points, while playmaker Jia Morado anchored the Cool Smashers’ offense with 21 excellent sets.

PetroGazz coach Arnold Laniog and the Angels hope to come up with key adjustments to have a chance of tying the series.

Aside from keeping its season alive, PetroGazz is also hoping to stay in the hunt for a second straight title after winning the previous Reinforced Conference at Creamline’s expense.

Game 3, if necessary, will be played on Wednesday.

Meantime, BanKo-Perlas shoots for third place when it plays Motolite at 4 p.m. after the Perlas Spikers won Game 1 25-23, 25-23, 25-18.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel denied Ray Parks Jr. a victory in his TNT KaTropa debut after prevailing 96-93 in a pulsating PBA Governors’ Cup duel Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Stanley Pringle broke a 92-all tie with a layup before Ginebra got a big break when KaTropa import KJ McDaniels missed a second free throw that would have tied the game to come away with an all-important win that kept them inside the top four hunt.

Pringle’s go-ahead basket, which came after blowing past McDaniels with 18 seconds left, was the only one the speedy guard made on his way to 14 points as Ginebra formally clinched a quarterfinals berth while tying San Miguel Beer for fourth at 6-3.

Ginebra holds the tiebreaker due to its 129-124 win over SMB last Oct. 13.

Japeth Aguilar was also instrumental for the Kings with 29 points and 10 rebounds, filling the void left by Greg Slaughter after hurting his thumb during Thursday’s practice.

Justin Brownlee added 24 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Ginebra, which bounced back from a 101-77 defeat at the hands of Meralco last Sunday.

“That was a huge win for us. Really a must, must-win. I’m happy to get it,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “Really happy to get it, even though we didn’t play well in the last two minutes, we didn’t execute the way we wanted to. We were able to still pull it out.”

The result denied TNT of clinching the first twice-to-beat bonus given to the four best teams after the elims.

Parks had 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting in his first game since being acquired from Blackwater in exchange for Don Trollano, Tony Semerad and a 2021 first round draft pick.

He led the KaTropa back from an 82-68 deficit in the fourth by scoring eight points in the period while feeding Roger Pogoy for a corner trey that knotted the count at 92-all, 31 seconds remaining.

Pringle responded with the layup before McDaniels was fouled by Art dela Cruz, 10 ticks to go. McDaniels made the first try but missed the second, much to the delight of the Ginebra faithful.

LA Tenorio saved the ball to Brownlee, who made both free throws after being fouled for 96-93. Parks tried to send the game into overtime but his long three from the right elbow hit wide left before time expired.

TNT fell to a share of second with Meralco at 7-2, half-game behind solo leader NLEX and one clear of Ginebra and San Miguel.

The KaTropa played their first game since skipper Jayson Castro suffered an ankle injury that will sideline him for at least a month.

The scores:

GINEBRA 96 — Aguilar 29, Brownlee 24, Tenorio 19, Pringle 14, Dela Cruz 8, Chan 2, Thompson 0, Sargent 0, Caperal 0, Mariano 0.

TNT KATROPA 93 — McDaniels 32, Pogoy 23, Parks 17, Vosotros 2, Digregorio 2, Williams 2, De Leon 2, Semerad 0, Reyes 0.

Quarters: 17-23; 38-44; 74-68; 96-93.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Games Tuesday (Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City)

1 p.m. – San Beda vs Lyceum (Jrs)

4 p.m. – San Beda vs Letran (Srs)

The Battle of Intramuros went to the wire, with Letran finding the perfect time to win and the law of averages coming down hard on Lyceum.

With the second finals berth at stake, the Knights finally found a way to score a huge win against the Pirates 92-88, moving to the championship series of NCAA Season 95 Friday night at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Fran Yu, a second year point guard, anchored Letran’s attack as he collected 20 points with five rebounds and six assists, leading the Knights to the finals for the first time in four years.

With Letran protecting a one-point lead 67-66, the 5-foot-9 Yu presided over a 19-9 run capped by a Larry Muyang layup that gave them an 88-77 advantage with 2:44 remaining.

Lyceum, a finalist the last two seasons and winner over Letran twice in the elimination round, came within three points 90-87 behind veteran guard Jaycee Marcelino.

The Knights answered back, however, with a Muyang layup making it 92-87, time down to 18.1 seconds.

Muyang, a third-year center, delivered big for Letran as he collected 19 points with nine boards, holding his own against Cameroonian center Mike Nzeusseu.

Bonbon Batiller and Jerrick Balanza, two of the team’s graduating players this summer, also came through with double digit scoring for the Knights – the former had 13 points while the latter added 11 points.

Letran’s first-year coach Bonnie Tan said it was the effort of his players, which carried the team back to the finals for the first time since winning it all during the 2015 season against San Beda.

“I give it to my veterans, lalo sa mga outgoing players ko,” said Tan, NorthPort’s team manager in the PBA. “They want to prove something na hindi nila na-prove last year… they never gave up.”

“Breaks of the game, with their effort and determination. Nakaka-lungkot lang na kailangan talunin yung former team ko,” added Tan, who coached Lyceum for a couple of season after the school joined the NCAA in 2013.

“But kailangan mag-move forward. Now I’m happy na makakalaro na ng championship itong mga players ko. Honestly, before taking the job, I know that this team is very talented.”

Letran battles well-rested San Beda, a team that has won the NCAA title the past three seasons. The best-of-three series starts Tuesday at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

The Red Lions earned an outright finals berth after sweeping the elimination round with an 18-0 record.

“We’ll see. Hindi pa namin iniisip sa ngayon kung papaano,” said Tan of the Knights’ chances against the Red Lions.

“Naka-sweep sila sa eliminations. Basta kami we’ll be ready sa finals. Hindi ko naman masabi… basta laban kami,” said Tan, whose team controlled the rebounding department 47-40 and shot almost 50 percent from the field while holding Lyceum below 44 percent.

Marcelino led Lyceum with 26 points, while Nzeusseu – in his final year with the Pirates – finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Jayson David added 11 points.

Scores:

LETRAN 92 – Yu 20, Muyang 19, Batiller 13, Balanza 11, Reyson 6, Mina 5, Sangalang 5, Balagasay 4, Ular 4, Caralipio 2, Javillonar 2, Ambohot 1, Olivario 0.

LYCEUM 88 – Marcelino J.C.  26, Nzeusseu 19, David 11, Caduyac 5, Marcelino J.V. 5, Navarro 5, Tansingco 4, Ibañez 4, Remulla 4, Santos 3, Guinto 2, Valdez 0.

Quarters: 20-26; 44-40; 67-66; 92-88.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By JONAS TERRADO

The Meralco Bolts are illuminating the way to the quarterfinal playoffs.

Tightening its grip on the top four spot after extending its winning run to four straight games, Meralco frustrated Columbian Dyip 92-74 in the PBA Governors’ Cup Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Allen Durham continued his dominant play by posting 34 points, 14 rebounds and five assists while Raymond Almazan produced 18 points and 24 rebounds to power the Bolts to a 7-2 record, inching closer toward claiming a twice-to-beat advantage.

The Bolts won despite sitting out ace guard Baser Amer, who was nursing a groin injury.

Coach Norman Black said Amer is listed as day-to-day and his status remains uncertain for Sunday’s match against NorthPort at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

“He can actually play tonight,” Black said of Amer, who is averaging 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals this conference.

“It’s just that groin injuries are quite tricky. If you move the wrong way, sometimes you can pull it completely. So my feeling was we have a lot of battles down the road so I wanted to make sure that he be 100 percent before we allow him to play again,” he added.

Despite Amer’s absence, Meralco was able to race to an 18-5 lead courtesy mostly of Durham and Almazan.

But Columbian was able to cut Meralco lead twice in the third, the last at 52-48 on a basket by Juami Tiongson.

Almazan, Durham and Allein Maliksi were able to restore order as the Bolts brought the lead back up to double digits all the way to the end.

Rookie CJ Perez posted 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals but was held to six points in the first half as the Dyip dropped to 4-6.

Columbian leads NorthPort (3-5), percentage-wise, while allowing ninth-running Alaska (3-6) to move a half-game behind.

Scores:

MERALCO 92 — Durham 34, Almazan 18, Newsome 10, Quinto 7, Maliksi 7, Caram 4, Hugnatan 3, Salva 3, Hodge 2, Pinto 2, Jamito 2, Faundo 0, Jackson 0, Jose 0.

COLUMBIAN 74 — Perez 21, Alston 19, Tiongson 9, Khobuntin 7, Cahilig 5, McCarthy 4, Reyes 3, Flores 3, Calvo 2, Faundo 1, Camson 0, Corpuz 0.

Quarters: 25-11; 45-29; 67-58; 92-74.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Though outfought by a younger and more powerful Japanese foe, Nonito Donaire stood his ground following 12 brutal rounds last Thursday in Saitama, Japan.

Ranged against heavy-handed Naoya Inoue before 20,000 fans at Saitama Super Arena, Donaire, nearing his 37 years of age, was a picture of courage as he endured severe punishment from a rival more than 10 years his junior.

Punchstats overwhelmingly favored Inoue, whose seven-fight knockout win streak ended when Donaire pushed him to the limit.

But Donaire paid the price as evidenced by Inoue’s 227 punches thrown out of 628 for 36.1 percent.

Donaire unleashed 605 but connected on just 141 for 23.3 percent.

In power punches, the two fought on almost even terms with Inoue taking landing 116 out of 292 thrown for 39.7 percent.

Donaire, who had his best moment in the eighth round when he rocked Inoue with a right to the jaw, tallied 99 out of 286 for 35.9 percent, figures that essentially proved the Fil-Am four-division champion was competitive.

In the end, Donaire was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that Inoue was the better man that night.

The morning after his savage defeat, Donaire spent some quality time with his two sons, including Jarel, who he had to console.

“First of all, I want to thank God for keeping me safe in that ring. My guardian angels for holding that shield up, that armor as strong as they could. To Ringstar Sports Richard Schaefer for believing me so much to get me into this tournament. You truly have had my back through this all and appreciate you. To Mr. (Akihiko) Honda, Teiken, the hospitality you have shown to me, my family and team has been amazing,” wrote Donaire in his Facebook account.

“I am a warrior on my shield. I came to Japan to take the Muhammad Ali trophy. I promised my sons they would see it in the morning. And with tears in my eyes, I humbly asked Inoue to borrow it for a night, not for me but for my word. It’ll be a life lesson my boys will soon learn. That you do your best and you come short. You will win. You will lose. But in either aspect you will do so graciously,” said Donaire, who was on the verge of a knockout loss in the 11th round when he got felled by a brutal body shot.

In a video Donaire posted, Inoue indeed gave in to his opponent’s request and allowed the coveted symbol of his superiority to stay overnight with Donaire so his kids can take a closer look at it before being transported back to the rightful owner.

Despite the stabbing pain, Donaire stood and faced the fighter nicknamed ‘Monster’ and weathered the storm en route to losing on points.

“It’ll pain them to see my face. They’ll kiss my wounds. They’ll see a trophy we don’t get to take home and understand what it means to want to train harder. And I told about the battle I fought. That I’d rather put my life on that shield than give up. And that we will ALWAYS fight,” added Donaire.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Games Tuesday (Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City)

1 p.m. – San Beda vs Lyceum (Jrs)

4 p.m. – San Beda vs Letran (Srs)

Lyceum of the Philippines University forward John Barba fired a career-best 36 points to power the Junior Pirates to a 78-76 victory over the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Staglets Friday for a seat in the finals of NCAA Season 95 junior’s tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Barba, one of 10 graduating players, scored Lyceum’s last nine points capped by a three-point play off a foul by Josel Barroga that gave them a 74-67 lead with 2:24 left in the game.

San Sebastian countered with a 9-4 run, with a Milo Janao triple trimming Lyceum’s lead to 78-76 with 2.2 seconds remaining.

After two missed free throws by Pirate Jaerolan Omandac, the Staglets had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but the ‘Hail Mary’ three-point attempt from half court by Rafael Are fell short as time expired.

Lyceum’s win propelled the team to its first finals appearance in the junior’s division.

The Junior Pirates will face top seed San Beda Red Cubs – owners of record 22 championships – in the best-of-three series starting this Tuesday at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

“We’re very happy that finally we’re in the Finals,” said Lyceum mentor JC Docto. “This is a testament of the hard work of the players, the whole team, and of course the support of the Lyceum community.”

McLaude Guadania and Gyle Montano, both graduating players too, also delivered solid performances with the former finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and the same number of assists while the latter had 10 points and eight boards.

San Sebastian, which forced the do-or-die match by beating the twice-to-beat Lyceum last Tuesday, got 18 points from Dylan Darbin, while Kim Bulasa finished with 15 points and Nikko Aguilar had 14 points.

Scores:

LYCEUM 78 – Barba 36, Guadaña 14, Montaño 10, Omandac 7, Panganiban 6, Garing 3, Ragasa 2, Gamlanga 0, Garro 0, Santos 0, Caringal 0, Caduyac 0, Gudmalin 0, Dejelo 0.

SAN SEBASTIAN 76 – Darbin 18, Bulasa 15, Aguilar 14, Janao 9, Barroga 6, Are 6, Una 4, Perez 2, Concha 2, Brizo 0, Lustina 0.

Quarters: 18-20; 37-44; 56-54; 78-76.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kemba Walker says he holds no ill feelings toward Michael Jordan, even though the Hornets owner and six-time NBA champion decided not to keep him in Charlotte by paying him a $221 million supermax contract.

In fact, Walker only has love for Jordan.

“MJ is always going to be a special guy in my life,” Walker said Thursday night after his return to Charlotte as a member of the Boston Celtics. “He’s one of the reasons I am where I am today.”

Jordan drafted Walker with the ninth pick in the 2011 NBA draft, and Walker took it from there. He beat out DJ Augustin for the starting point guard spot and flourished into a three-time All-Star despite being undersized — he’s listed at 6-foot — for his position.

Along the way, he became tight with Jordan, and the two still talk regularly. Although Walker said they didn’t have a chance to catch up Thursday, he said he feels like he can talk with Jordan anytime.

“He gave me the opportunity to flourish as a basketball player,” Walker said. “He gave me the opportunity to grow as a man in this community. So, MJ definitely has a special place in my heart for sure.”

Walker scored 14 points and had six assists as the Celtics beat the Hornets for their sixth straight win.

Walker’s mother, who still lives in Charlotte, was in the stands.

It was an emotional night for Walker.

The Hornets showed a highlight video of Walker during pre-game introductions, which brought tears to his eyes.
After that, the crowd gave Walker a loud, one-minute standing ovation.

“It was amazing,” Walker said after the game . “Just a great feeling to know that they still have love for me even though I left. But you know, to be back and to get the reception I got was really cool.”

It was clear Walker was missed.

His longtime friend Cody Zeller honored him with a pair of sneakers that had the Charlotte skyline graphic reading “We Miss You Kemba.” Walker said he misses Zeller and some of the young players he was mentoring on the team like Devonte Graham, Dwayne Bacon and Miles Bridges.

He joked that Graham has stolen some of his moves.

“For sure! Definitely stole some of them. Definitely,” Graham said with a laugh. “When you’ve got a great guy like that, great point guard in this league you watch him, got to watch him the whole year so I definitely take some of his stuff from him.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Lou Williams made a go-ahead jumper with 58 seconds left, then added a 3-pointer and finished with 26 points to lift the Los Angeles Clippers over the Portland Trail Blazers 107-101 on Thursday night for coach Doc Rivers’ 900th career victory.

Kawhi Leonard had 27 points, 13 rebounds and six turnovers after missing a nationally televised loss to Milwaukee the previous night as part of load management for his knee.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum led Portland with 22 points apiece, but both got blanked in the fourth quarter of the Blazers’ third straight loss.

That’s when Anfernee Simons scored 16 of his 17 points, including Portland’s first 12.

Leonard sealed the win with four straight free throws as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!”

The Clippers rallied from eight points down early in the fourth, taking their first lead on Leonard’s basket.

The Blazers tied it 98-all on a three-point play by Hassan Whiteside.

Williams’ jumper put the Clippers ahead for good and he followed it up with a 3.

Rivers became the 13th coach in NBA history to reach 900 wins. Los Angeles improved to 5-1 at home.

The Blazers regained the lead in the third, outscoring the Clippers 36-23. Portland tied it 61-all on McCollum’s 3-pointer, spurring an 18-7 run that sent the Blazers into the fourth leading 76-70.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

TOKYO — Frustrated residents of Japan will get another shot at attending next year’s Tokyo Olympics when organizers on Friday put more than 1 million tickets into the latest lottery.

Tokyo has generated unprecedented ticket demand inside and outside Japan. Organizers say 3.57 million tickets have already been awarded to Japan residents in two lotteries.

Organizers have repeatedly declined to say how many tickets have been sought. But demand is believed to be at least 10 times over supply— probably more — with widespread complaints about the scarcity.

The demand has driven up hotel prices and created concerns about how Tokyo’s efficient train system will handle the July 24 to Aug. 9 games.

Organizers say 7.8 million tickets are available for next year’s games. They say at least 70% will go to the general Japanese public, which would be about 5.5 million. The rest are sold outside Japan, or allotted to sponsors, national Olympic committees, or international sports federations.

This is the last exclusive chance for residents of Japan. Another ticket offering in the spring will be open to Japan and non-Japan residents on a first-come, first-serve basis.

This is the first time tickets for boxing are included in the Japan lottery.

The International Olympic Committee stripped the boxing body AIBA of the right to organize the tournament, citing corruption in finance, refereeing, and judging. The IOC is now organizing the tournament after a long delay.

Tickets will be unavailable for the marathons. The IOC, citing Tokyo’s summer heat, is moving that event to the northern city of Sapporo against the wishes of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

It’s unclear where the marathons will be run in Sapporo, and if people who bought tickets to see the finish inside Tokyo’s new national stadium will get refunds.

The latest lottery opens next Wednesday, Nov. 13, and runs until Nov. 26, with results announced in mid-December.
Organizers hope to raise about $800 million in ticket sales. This revenue makes up a large part of the privately funded operating budget of $5.6 billion.

A national government audit report last year said Tokyo would spend about $25 billion to organize the Olympics, all of which is public money except for the operating budget funding.

Organizers dispute the figure and say it’s half that much, part of a debate about what are — and are not — Olympic expenses.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

TOKYO — The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee says opera legend Placido Domingo has said he won’t perform at pre-Olympics cultural events in Japan.

The committee said in a statement Friday that Domingo decided not to perform at an event scheduled for April that was meant to bring together opera and traditional Japanese Kabuki theater and officials accepted his decision.

US opera houses have canceled Domingo’s appearance following sexual harassment allegations against him.

Source: Manila Bulletin