By Jonas Terrado

The absence of ace center Raymond Almazan could make things difficult for Meralco to finally contend in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Almazan is expected to miss at least the first five weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee, leaving the Bolts without their best big man for the start of the opening conference.

He suffered the injury during Game 3 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel last January which contributed heavily to the Bolts’ eventual defeat.

“Hopefully we will have at least six games before he finally comes back,” Meralco coach Norman Black said of Almazan, who averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 29 games with the Bolts last season.

Almazan was acquired from Meralco prior to the start of last year’s Commissioner’s Cup in mid-May.

Meralco’s first six games are against Magnolia (March 15), Blackwater (March 20), Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (March 22), Rain or Shine (April 1), Phoenix Pulse (April 15) and Alaska (April 19).

If that timetable is met, Meralco will be in for a tricky schedule as it will face last year’s Philippine Cup finalist Magnolia, Governors’ Cup winner Ginebra and teams that reached the semis of the previous All-Filipino in Rain or Shine and Phoenix.

The Philippine Cup has always been a waterloo for Meralco despite being a consistent playoff team in import-laden conferences highlighted by Finals appearances in three of the last four editions of the Governors’ Cup with Allen Durham.

Meralco has never reached the Philippine Cup playoffs since the 2014-15 season, going 11-33 in the last four stagings of the PBA’s most important tournament.

The Bolts are hoping to make up for Almazan’s absence with veterans Baser Amer and Chris Newsome and incoming sophomore Bong Quinto.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Matches Friday

(PCA claycourt, Paco)

11 a.m. – AJ Lim vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Followed by

Petros Tsitsipas vs Jeson Patrombon

The invading Greeks are on the shores. Up to Team Philippines to make a stand the way Troy did in mythological times.

Tennis fans are in for world-class treat today when world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas clashes with AJ Lim in the first singles match of the Philippines versus Greece Davis Cup World Group II playoff tie.

Match is at 11 a.m. at the Philippine Columbian Association claycourt in Paco, Manila with both players seeking to draw first blood in the two-day, best-of-five affair.

This is not the first time the two netters are facing each other, having tangled in a doubles match during a junior tournament years ago.

Lim and his partner won that matchup.

It’s a different story now as far as Lim, 20, is concerned.

“It was way, way back. It’s different now because he’s been training a lot and he’s No. 6 in the world… Of course that counts in our history, but it doesn’t really matter now,” said Lim, who has compiled three singles victories out of seven since joining the squad in 2017.

“For me, it’s just going to be a good experience playing against him.”

Despite his rankings and experience, the 21-year-old Tsitsipas is not taking the match any lightly.

“The vibe is totally different because we’re not playing on home soil, so we’ll have to take it match by match and concentrate on that,” said Tsitsipas, who is seeing action for the Greek squad for the second time since debuting last September.

Apart from experience and rankings, Tsitsipas literally towered over Lim. The Greek tennis hero is 6-foot-4 while Lim is at 5-foot-7.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas’ younger brother Petros faces Jeson Patrombon in the second singles.

“It’s something new for me, playing as a second player for the team and I can’t wait to get it started. I’ll do my best out there,” said Petros, 19, who mostly played doubles matches with the Greek squad since 2017.

Patrombon shares the same sentiment, saying he’ll do his best as this will be the first time that he will be playing against him.

The doubles match scheduled on Saturday pit veterans Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales against Petros and Markos Kalovelonis, followed by the reverse singles between Stefanos and Patrombon, and Petros against Lim.

The tie matchup is the first time in 29 years that the Filipino Cuppers will be up against a non-Asian squad since the PH team, then bannered by Felix Barrientos, faced Sweden in the 1991 World Group Qualifiers.

Under this new format, 12 home-and-away ties in World Group II playoffs will be played at the same time in the World Qualifiers and World Group I playoffs.

The 12 winning nations from the World Group II playoffs will compete in the World Group II ties in September along with the losing nations from World Group I.

Losing nations in World Group II, meanwhile, will compete in the Regional Group III in June/July or September.

READ MORE: For the Tsitsipas family, Davis Cup tennis is in their blood, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greek team looking forward to playing in Davis Cup

Apart from experience and rankings, Tsitsipas literally towered over Lim. The Greek tennis hero is 6-foot-4 while Lim is at 5-foot-7.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas’ younger brother Petros faces Jeson Patrombon in the second singles.

“It’s something new for me, playing as a second player for the team and I can’t wait to get it started. I’ll do my best out there,” said Petros, 19, who mostly played doubles matches with the Greek squad since 2017.

Patrombon shares the same sentiment, saying he’ll do his best as this will be the first time that he will be playing against him.

The double match scheduled on Saturday pit veterans Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales against Petros and Markos Kalovelonis, followed by the reverse singles between Stefanos and Patrombon, and Petros against Lim.

READ MORE: PH team optimistic despite odds against Stefanos Tsitsipas-led Greek squad

The tie matchup is the first time in 29 years that the Filipino Cuppers will be up against a non-Asian squad since the PH team, then bannered by Felix Barrientos, faced Sweden in the 1991 World Group Qualifiers.

Under this new format, 12 home-and-away ties in World Group II playoffs will be played at the same time in the World Qualifiers and World Group I playoffs.

The 12 winning nations from the World Group II playoffs will compete in the World Group II ties in September along with the losing nations from World Group I.

Losing nations in World Group II, meanwhile, will compete in the Regional Group III in June/July or September.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Builders Warehouse-University of Santo Tomas sizzled for 23 three-pointers to crush Technological Institute of the Philippines 115-62 Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Vince Cuajao and Ferdinand Asuncion combined for 12 triples as the Growling Tigers cruised past the Engineers for a promising start to their campaign in the season-opening tournament.

Cuajao made 7-of-12 from downtown to finish with 24 points while Asuncion went 5-of-9 on his way to 20 points for Builders Warehouse-UST.

Rhenz Abando had 15 points and six rebounds, Mark Nonoy posted 11 points, five rebounds and six assists and Soulemane Chabi-yo added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

UST is using the tournament as part of its UAAP preparation while also eyeing a playoff spot after falling short in last season’s First Conference.

Papa Ndiaye and Bryan Santos scored 13 points each but TIP, semifinalist in last year’s Aspirants’ Cuo, allowed Builders Warehouse-UST to take a 20-5 lead at the start.

The Growling Tigers set the tone for the one-sided affair by hitting six threes during that opening stretch, with Nonoy hitting twice.

Cuajao, a seldom-used rookie in the UAAP last season, later scored nine straight points to stretch UST’s lead to 26-13 with 2:31 remaining in the opening period.

The scores:

BUILDERS-UST 115 — Cuajao 24, Asuncion 20, Abando 15, Chabi Yo 11, Nonoy 11, Huang 7, Ando 7, Paraiso 5, Santos 5, Bataller 4, Manaytay 3, Concepcion 2, Manalang 1, Herrera 0.

TIP 62 — B. Santos 13, Ndiaye 13, Daguro 10, Yu 10, Carurucan 9, Corpuz 2, Sandagon 2, Calisay 2, I. Santos 1, Navarro 0, Diokno 0, Primo 0, Sena 0, Cudiamat 0.

Quarters: 30-16; 54-31; 80-51; 115-62.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Kristaps Porzingis scored 34 points, and Luka Doncic added a 30-point triple-double as the host Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 127-123 in overtime on Wednesday.

Seth Curry added 21 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 and Delon Wright had 10 for the Mavericks. Doncic added 17 rebounds and 10 assists, and Porzingis had 12 boards and five blocked shots. Dallas improved to 6-3 in the past nine games.

In just his 122nd career game, Doncic set the Mavericks’ franchise record for triple-doubles with 22.

Brandon Ingram scored 27 before fouling out, Lonzo Bell had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Zion Williamson scored 21 for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight. Nicolo Melli hit a 3-pointer over the 7-foot-3 Porzingis to tie the score with 7.9 seconds left and force overtime.

Portland Trail Blazers 125 – Washington Wizards 104

Star guard Damian Lillard returned from a groin injury to contribute 22 points and five assists, helping Portland post a blowout home victory over Washington.

Carmelo Anthony scored a team-high 25 points as four Trail Blazers topped 20 points. Hassan Whiteside registered 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots, and CJ McCollum added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Bradley Beal recorded 29 points, six rebounds and six assists but couldn’t prevent Washington from losing for the sixth time in eight games. Beal stretched his franchise-record streak of consecutive 25-point outings to 20. He fell one point shy of scoring 30 or more points in a 10th straight road game.

Oklahoma City Thunder 114 – Detroit Pistons 107

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points, Dennis Schroder supplied 23 points and nine assists, and visiting Oklahoma City downed lowly Detroit.

Danilo Gallinari tossed in 19 points with seven rebounds and four steals while Chris Paul added 16 points and six assists for the Thunder.

Christian Wood scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Detroit, which has lost nine of its last 10. Brandon Knight had 18 points and seven assists while Jordan McRae, claimed off waivers earlier in the day, contributed 15 points in his Pistons debut.

Miami Heat 116 – Orlando Magic 113

Duncan Robinson scored 27 points and Goran Dragic added 25 points as host Miami topped Orlando on a historic shooting night for the Heat.

Robinson went 9-for-12 from 3-point range to account for all of his scoring as Miami hit a franchise-record 22 3-pointers. Dragic added nine assists on a big night for the Miami bench, as the reserves accounted for 10 of the Heat’s other 13 3-pointers.

Terrence Ross scored a game-high 35 points for Orlando. Nikola Vucevic added 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 9 of 16 from the floor.

Boston Celtics 112 – Cleveland Cavaliers 106

Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, Semi Ojeleye added a career-high 22 and injury-depleted Boston outlasted host Cleveland.

Boston started a makeshift lineup with Brad Wanamaker and Grant Williams joining Daniel Theis and Marcus Smart. Tatum returned from illness, however, and powered the Celtics with 5-of-10 shooting from the 3-point arc, nine rebounds and six assists.

Cleveland kept pace with Boston all night behind a career-high 41 points from Collin Sexton, marking the third time this week that Sexton set a career scoring mark.

Milwaukee Bucks 119 – Indiana Pacers 100

Khris Middleton scored eight of his 20 points in a third-quarter surge that propelled Milwaukee past visiting Indiana.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded game highs in points (29) and rebounds (12) for the Bucks, who have won seven of their past eight games. Donte DiVincenzo finished with 19 points, Eric Bledsoe had 16 to go with a team-high seven assists, and Wesley Matthews contributed 15 points.

T.J. Warren had a team-high 18 points for Indiana, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Utah Jazz 112 – New York Knicks 104

Bojan Bogdanovic and Donovan Mitchell had 23 points apiece, and visiting Utah never trailed in beating New York.

Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Jazz, who won their third straight to move within a half-game of the idle Houston Rockets in the race for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Julius Randle scored 32 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Memphis Grizzlies 118 – Brooklyn Nets 79

Josh Jackson scored 19 points, and fellow reserve Tyus Jones recorded 18 points, six assists and five rebounds as Memphis posted a convincing win over Brooklyn in New York.

Ja Morant had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks added 12 points apiece for Memphis, which won its third straight game to even its record at 31-31. Jonas Valanciunas collected 16 rebounds and Gorgui Dieng grabbed 14 boards for the Grizzlies, who have won by an average of 31.7 points during the streak.

Taurean Prince scored 15 points for Brooklyn, which lost for the sixth time in eight games. Caris LeVert and Chris Chiozza tallied 14 points apiece for the Nets, and Joe Harris had 13. LeVert was coming off a 51-point game Tuesday.

Minnesota Timberwolves 115 – Chicago Bulls 108

Malik Beasley scored 24 points, D’Angelo Russell added 19 and both players contributed to a long-range barrage as Minnesota beat Chicago in Minneapolis.

Minnesota drilled 19 3-pointers and boasted six players in double figures while leading by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter. Naz Reid (16 points, 11 rebounds), Jarrett Culver (13 points), Juancho Hernangomez (12 points) and Jordan McLaughlin (10 points, seven assists) rounded out a balanced attack as the Timberwolves earned their second win in a row.

Chicago lost for the 11th time in 13 games despite a game-high 26 points from rookie Coby White. Shaquille Harrison added 17 points for the Bulls while Lauri Markkanen (13), Thaddeus Young (13), Denzel Valentine (11) and Tomas Satoransky (10) followed in double figures.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

STA. ROSA, Laguna – Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla got himself into contention with a two-under par 70 to keep pace with leader Guido Van Der Valk of The Netherlands in the second round of The Country Club (TCC) Invitational Thursday at the TCC here.

Van Der Valk, the 40-year-old Dutch, now based in Cebu, carded a 74 for a two-day total of 145, two strokes ahead of Mondilla, who has 147 in the event that serves as the first tournament for the 2020 Philippine Golf Tour season.

He birdied on 4, 7, 8 and 11, but had bogeys on 5, 9, 14, 15, 16 and 18. Van Der Valk almost eagled on 4, and sank a tough 20-footer on 7 that highlighted his round.

“It was a good start, I was two-under through 13, but I made mistakes on the last few holes, which were just really hard holes. But one-over after two days is happy enough,” said Van Der Valk.

Mondilla, who won on this same course last year with his first Open championship, drained birdies at 2, 4, 10, 12 and 14. On 10, he was putting eagle from 12 feet, missed but settled with a birdie.

However, he mixed his round with bogeys on 5, 11 and 13, where Mondilla’s tee shot missed the fairway and went to the bunker. Putting from 25 feet, his shot went outside the green and needed two putts to finish.

Nevertheless, the native of Bukidnon said he is satisfied with his performance especially now that he is only behind by two shots.

“Lahat ng palo ko OK, yung sa putting ko lang hindi masyado pumapasok. Tinatamaan ko lahat ng greens. Sa first round mas maganda pa nga putting ko kesa ngayon,” said Mondilla.

“Kaya stick to the plan pa din ako, ingat ingat na lang lalo sa holes 2, 3 and 4. Dito naman kasi sa TCC crucial yung second, until the final day. Kasi maski leader ka yung last three or two holes madami pwede mangyari. Kailangan focus talaga,” added the 26-year-old golfer.

Former TCC champion Tony Lascuna, Jay Bayron and Ropert Zaragosa all had similar scores of 73 to share third to fifth places for 148, followed by Ira Christian Alido – the youngest in the tournament at 18 – and Albin Engino at 150.

Jhonel Ababa, Michael Bibat and Reymon Jaraula are tied for eighth to 10th places at 151.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

APEX Fuel Mindanao-San Sebastian College walloped AMA Online Education Senior High 113-67 Thursday to open its campaign on a winning note in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

RK Ilagan fired 22 points while adding five rebounds, eight assists and two steals to lead the Stags to a lopsided win over a Titans side that entered the conference parading several senior high school players.

Itchie Altamirano added 16 points on four three-pointers, Alex Desoyo had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists and Ralphs Gabat added 10 points and four assists for APEX-San Sebastian.

San Sebastian is back in the D-League after losing to eventual champion Ateneo in the semifinals of last year’s First Conference.

Coach Egay Macaraya’s Stags are also using the campaign as part of their early preparation for the NCAA season.

And APEX-San Sebastian quickly launch its title bid in a big way, scoring nine straight points midway in the first quarter to turn a 13-10 lead into 22-10 with Ilagan ending the run on back-to-back triples.

Luke Parcero, one of the non senior high players on the AMA squad, scored 24 points in a losing effort.

Seventeen-year-old point guard Reed Baclig, the surprise top overall pick in the draft, scored just three points but dished out nine assists in his debut.

Source: Manila Bulletin

AMMAN, Jordan – Nesthy Petecio fought like the champion that she is, totally dominating Krismi Lankapurayalage of Sri Lanka 5-0 at the second day of competitions of the Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification Tournament for Boxing here.

The 27-year-old from Davao de Sur proved too skilled, too talented and too powerful for the game Sri Lankan that some judges gave 10-8 scores even if there were no knockdowns or standing 8-counts.

“ Sobrang focused ako dito. Baka ito na ang last chance ko to be an Olympian. Kailangan seryosohin lahat ng laban”, said the dusky lefty (who sometimes switches to an orthodox stance). There had been several opportunities that slipped through her hands in the past.

Her next match is on Sunday, against Japanese Sena Irie, with whom she has a 1-1 head-to-head record.

Former Olympian Reynaldo Galido, who took over the women’s head coaching responsibilities from an indisposed Nolito Velasco, is confident about the Sunday showdown.

“Maganda ang kinikilos ni Nesthy ngayon. Last time sila nagkita sa World Championships, 4-1 ang panalo ni Nesthy sa kanya. Sila ang mag-adjust ngayon pero handa kami”, said Galido.

Whoever wins that bout will automatically book a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics in July.

Meanwhile, in Wednesday’s evening session, diminutive Riza Pasuit made it 3 of 3 for the Philippine squad with a squeaker of a win (3-2) over Saya Hamamoto of Japan in their lightweight match (60 kg.).

Pasuit doggedly stayed with the taller Japanese, exchanging punches and scoring repeatedly with clear right hooks and snappy combinations.

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson expressed jubilation over the performance of the team so far.

“Naturally, we’re happy. But as our president Ricky Vargas reminded us over long distance, it gets tougher. Not only will the opposition be better, but everyone is looking to beat us now. But credit to our coaches, the support of PSC and MVPSF, and the prayers of our people, our boxers were given ample training to prepare for this. We’re still optimistic, but guardedly so”, he said.

On Thursday, World Championships silver medalist Eumir Felix Marcial, a No. 1 seed here like Petecio, sees action for the first time against Australia’s Kirra Ruston, a winner over Hongkong’s Tai Leong Kan.

Lightweight James Palicte goes up against Elnur Abduraimov of Uzbekistan, after drawing a bye in the first round of preliminaries.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Filipino champion John Riel Casimero is the heavy underdog in his unification bantamweight showdown with Japanese sensation Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue on April 25 in Las Vegas.

Reports from Las Vegas put Inoue an 11-2 favorite and Casimero a 7-2 underdog in their scheduled 12-rounder at Mandalay Bay.

According to Casimero’s chief handler Sean Gibbons, a measly bet of $2 for Casimero wins $7 while a whopping $11 wager wins a mere $2.

Instead of getting discouraged, Gibbons is ecstatic, Vegas being Vegas, most probably.

“I love it,” he said when told about the numbers.

Gibbons has promotional rights over Casimero and two other Filipino world champions Jerwin Ancajas and Pedro Taduran as well as being the head of Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions.

Casimero just capped his fourth week of conditioning training in Miami with strength coach Memo Heredia and a string of Cuban strategists including the decorated coach Pedro Roque.

But Casimero is about to relocate his training camp from sunny Florida to the neon lights of Las Vegas on March 15.

Chief trainer Nonoy Neri is reuniting with Casimero and training assistant Ting Ariosa in Miami before proceeding to Sin City.

If victorious against the heavy-handed Inoue, Casimero will add the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation crowns to his World Boxing Organization title.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Thanks to late heroics from goalkeeper Ralph Logronio and rookie Stephen Marasigan, University of Santo Tomas secured a 1-0 victory over National University in the UAAP Season 82 men’s football tournament Thursday morning at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

After a nip-and-tick first 80 minutes, the breakthrough goal finally came at the 81st minute when Marasigan, who was brought on as a substitute, delivered an instant impact for Allado’s men as he unleased a fine strike that eventually became the first goal of the season.

“At least kahit papano nakakuha kami ng 1-0, kahit tight siya,” said UST coach Marjo Allado. “Kailangan namin i-organize ulit yung team and then questionable talaga dun yung match fitness.”

Both sides went close to breaking the deadlock in the first half.

The Golden Booters were awarded a freekick right at the edge of the NU box near the end of the period. UST’s Glen Ramos then stepped up to unleash a powerful strike, which ended up getting denied by the goalpost.

On the other end, in stoppage time, Bulldogs forward Angelo Paring was through on goal but his attempt his the side-netting.

Things then got heated in stoppage time.

A commotion broke out between the two squads and the Bulldogs were cunning enough to try and take advantage of it via a quick throw-in. Rookie Bryan Ybanez was through on goal, but his attempt was parried away by Logronio’s magnificent stop.

The result gives UST three valuable points to open its campaign while NU has to make do with none.

Additionally, the Bulldogs can only lament the fact Keivenn Banagodos was sent off after being given two yellow cards.

“Hopefully, this Sunday against Ateneo, it will be much better,” said Allado.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

British sprint world champion Dina Asher-Smith said she was “proud” to have her own Barbie as the toy brand announced a line-up of dolls to honor female sporting role models ahead of International Women’s Day.

Asher-Smith, who won the 200 meters gold at last year’s world championships in Doha, was one of several sports stars to be recognized as role models.

French women’s football captain Amandine Henry and Ukraine’s fencing world champion Olga Kharlan also have dolls.

It is part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project, a social initiative to raise awareness around factors that prevent girls from reaching their full potential.

“I’m so proud to have my own one-of-a-kind Dina Barbie doll,” said Asher-Smith. “It’s an honor to work with Barbie as a ‘Shero’ and work together to inspire future champions.

“Growing up, sportswomen were less visible in the media and there is still a gap when it comes to women’s sports, which is why representation is so important.”

She added: “I hope little girls will see my doll and be inspired to take up and continue to enjoy sports.”

Lisa McKnight, global head of dolls at Barbie, said the aim was to shine a spotlight on “powerful, diverse role models” ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.

Heather Smith, associate head of innovation at Women in Sport, said too many girls were missing out on the physical and mental benefits of sport.

“Sport and physical activity is a fantastic way to build girls’ confidence and resilience, helping them become healthy and happy young women,” she said.

“At Women in Sport, we’re determined to help more girls enjoy these lifelong rewards of sport.”

Source: Manila Bulletin