Nash Racela and Aldin Ayo named Coach of the Year

The UAAP-NCAA Press Corps selected a couple of coaches who each ended a decade of drought in collegiate basketball as its Coach of the Year.

Nash Racela and Aldin Ayo will share the alum after leading their respective schools to the men's basketball championship this past season.

In what will turn out to be his lone season in charge with the Knights, Ayo brought a team that missed out on the Final Four back to the promised land, denying then-defending champions San Beda a shot at making history in becoming what could have been the first NCAA school to bag the crown for six straight seasons.

The newly-minted head coach of La Salle is the fourth head coach to be bestown his honor in his first season, joining Ato Agustin (2009 with San Sebastian), Juno Sauler (2013 with La Salle), and Boyet Fernandez (2013 with San Beda).

Racela, on the other hand, masterfully managed the Tamaraws' depth and leadership to outlast the University of Santo Tomas.

The duo joins an illustrious group of basketball minds like Norman Black, Frankie Lim, Eric Altamirano, and Louie Alas who have secured the nod.

The awarding is set to take place on January 26, where the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps and SMART Sports will host the Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The event will also honor its SMART Player of the Year and Collegiate Mythical Five, in addition to the Coach of the Year.

How to cast your NBA All-Star vote

The 2016 NBA All-Star Game will be held in Toronto, the first time that the event will take place outside of the United States.

As always, fans dictate the NBA All-Star Game starters, and the league recently released its guidelines for voting through the different media platforms.

Do note that every current NBA player is eligible. Two guards and three frontcourt players.

NBA.com/vote. Just fill out one full ballot per day. Doesn't matter if it is desktop or mobile.
NBA app. Go to the app, which is available on both Android and iOS, and just fill out one full ballot per day.
Twitter: Send a tweet (or a retweet or reply to a tweet) with the player's first and last name along with this hashtag (#NBAVote). Make sure the tweet includes just one player. Fans can do this for up to ten players per day.
Facebook: Post a status or make a comment on a post with the player's first and last name along with this hashtag (#NBAVote). Make sure the post / comment includes just one player. Fans can do this for up to ten players per day.
Instagram: Post an original photo. On the caption, write the player's first and last name along with this hashtag (#NBAVote). Make sure the post includes just one player. Fans can do this for up to ten players per day.
SMS: For those based in the US, Just text the player's surname to MYNBA (69622) from your wireless device. Make sure the message includes just one player. Fans can do this for up to ten players per day per mobile number. Standard messaging and data rates may apply in this case.
Google: Type in either "NBA Vote All-Star" or "NBA Vote Team Name" (i.e. NBA Vote Celtics). The former will lead to a prompt showing all 30 teams. Click the the team of your choice, then click on the players of your choice. The latter will lead you directly to the team, from which you can make your selection. Fans can do this for up to ten players per day.

For China, All-Star Voting is also conducted through Sina Weibo and Tencent.

Last day of voting will be on January 18 at 11:59:59 (January 19 in Manila). Announcement of starters will be on January 21 (January 22 in Manila) during a special edition of the Tip-Off show of NBA on TNT.

League will provide three updates (December 25, January 7, January 14 = December 26, January 8, January 15 in Manila) on ballot returns.

Kiefer Ravena and Alyssa Valdez set Nona fundraiser

The FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan is set to host Kiefer Ravena's third charity endeavor, entitled FASTBR3AK.

Targeting the victims of Nona, Kiefer and fellow Ateneo student-athlete Alyssa Valdez are setting up a fund-raising exhibition volleyball match slated to take place on December 23 at 2pm.

Joining the Phenoms in this endeavor are notable volleyball stars Gretchen Ho, Denden Lazaro, Michele Gumabao, and Charo Soriano, as well as collegiate basketball stars Kevin Ferrer and the Escoto brothers. Volleyball legend and broadcaster Mozzy Ravena will also be among the participants.

Kiefer and Alyssa will be leading their own respective teams in this exhibition matchup, which will include a raffle as well as a hulahoop contest between Valdez and a lucky ticket holder.

Kiefer says, "We want to help them in the spirit of Christmas," adding that "We hope they will not be too devastated by what happened and this is one way of making happy this Christmas."

The two-time MVP has already undertaken charitable endeavors before, targeting those who had been affected by Sendong and Yolanda.

Tickets to FASTBR3AK will be available starting December 21 at the Ally's All-Day Breakfast Place outlets in Malingap St, as well as Holy Spirit Drive in Quezon City. Tickets cost PhP 250 and PhP 500.

Team Kiefer: Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Ferrer, Gretchen Ho, Denden Lazaro, Bang Pineda, Jem Ferrer, Charo Soriano, Russel Escoto, and Mac Dionisio

Team Alyssa: Alyssa Valdez, Ella de Jesus, Michele Gumabao, Jen Reyes, Dani Ravena, Mozzy Ravena, Richard Escoto, IC Mendoza

Kiefer Ravena launches personal website

Kiefer Ravena wants to boost his already burgeoning fanbase.

The two-time UAAP MVP on Tuesday officially launched his own website in a simple launch at the recently-opened Ally's All Day Breakfast Place at The Rock in Quezon City.

The website (www.kieferravena.com), according the Ateneo star, allows him to directly communicate to his fans with his latest updates on and off the court.

According to Kiefer, not everyone has access to his different social media accounts, but most have access to the internet. He says, "I want to increase my fan base, to be able to reach people abroad."

He shared that he once had a website before, but it had been difficult to maintain given that he was just starting his UAAP career, but he adds, "Now, going to the pros, I have time to prepare something for the fans. I want to make everything easier for them."

This site will have blog posts from the Sinag standout himself, allowing him to address different topics, not just limited to basketball. Fans have the chance to have a live chat with him, too. He hopes to have that on a weekly basis.

Statements from Ravena directly on certain matters will also be posted there, as well as his scheduled on and off court activities.

UAAP HS basketball caps first round action today

UAAP High School Basketball Standings:

NU 6-0
Ateneo 5-1
DLS-Z 5-1
FEU-Diliman 3-3
Adamson 3-3
UST 2-4
UPIS 0-6
UE 0-6

UAAP High School Basketball schedule at the Blue Eagle Gym:

9am: UPIS vs. UE
11am: FEU-Diliman vs. UST
1pm: Adamson vs. DLS-Z
3pm: Ateneo vs. NU

A rematch of last year's finals is set to cap off high school basketball this year.

Defending champions Ateneo seek to put a dent on unbeaten National University later today at the Blue Eagle Gym.

The Bullpups have racked up six straight wins, behind the duo of John Lloyd Clemente and Justine Baltazar, while the Blue Eaglets have won five straight after losing their opening assignment to La Salle-Zobel.

Just before that matchup, the 5-1 Junior Archers, with recent La Salle commit Aljun Melecio, go up against Adamson at 1pm. The Baby Falcons are tied with FEU-Diliman at 3-3 for fourth. The Baby Tamaraws will face the UST Tiger Cubs at 11am.

Opening the quadruple header at 9am is the matchup involving winless UPIS and UE.

ONE FC: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS caps off 2015 for ONE Championship

The Weigh-In for ONE FC: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS is later today.

To send 2015 off with a bang, ONE Championship has put together a MMA event at the SM Mall of Asia Arena this Friday, December 11.

According to ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui, 2015 for him was an "amazing year," acknowledging that they have "climbed new heights while breaking barriers and spreading the ideals of the MMA discipline."

Highlighting the fight card is the ONE Heavyweight World Championship title fight between Brandon "The Truth" Vera and Paul "Typhoon" Cheng. Cheng, of course, is the late replacement for Chi Lewis-Parry, who was dropped by ONE Championship on Tuesday.

The ONE FC: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS main event

Supporting the main event fight are four more bouts involving Pinoy fighters.

One fight sees the return of former women's boxing world champion Ana "Hurricane" Julaton, as she faces former wushu world champion Irina Mazepa of Russia in a flyweight bout.

Just before the Vera fight, Mark Striegl will be facing off against Reece McClaren, while Eugene Toquero faces Chinese opposition in Li Wei Bin in the flyweight division. Toquero is fresh from a UD loss to Riku Shibuya on ONE: TIGERS OF ASIA, and hopes that a win here would vault him back into title contention.

Completing the cast of Pinoy fighters is Ruel Catalan, who will face Alex Silva of Brazil in a flyweight bout.

The other matches scheduled sees a couple more featherweight bouts (Christian Lee against David Meak, and Bruno Pucci against Anthony Engelen) and a strawweight matchup (Angela Lee against Lena Tkhorevska).

A ninth fight was supposed to take place, but Yang Jian Bing was suffering from severe dehydration in attempting to make weight and his match against Geje Eustaquio was called off on Thursday.

Cui remains committed in "cultivating local homegrown heroes from the grassroots into bonafide superstars," adding that when fans cheer on their favorite fighter/s in a place like the MOA Arena, "that is when we know we have done a good job."

Cui believes that 2016 "will be even better," as ONE Championship is expected to conduct more shows in iconic cities throughout Asia.

ONE FC drops Chi Lewis-Parry from SPIRIT of Champions

In a statement released on Tuesday, ONE Championship made the decision to remove Chi Lewis-Parry from the ONE FC: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS MMA event slated this Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The outfit cited the inability of Parry to provide his medical results and drug tests in spite of numerous requests to do so. He also has opted not to take the flight from London to Manila.

Parry had been slated to face Brandon Vera for the ONE FC Heavyweight title, but replacing him will be Paul Cheng.

ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui released a statement on this matter:

BREAKING NEWS:After multiple requests made by ONE Officials directly to Chi Lewis Parry and his Manager over the last...
Posted by Victor Cui on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

In the interest of fairness, Lewis-Parry posted this on Facebook when he learned about the move.

Dear world. As I forewarned, One Championship have ripped my shot from my grasp. They pretended Paul Cheng was...
Posted by Chi Lewis-Parry on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

ONE FC: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS will be shown LIVE on Friday, December 11, on Fox Sports 2, starting at 830pm.

IPTL Manila leg participants and standings

The participants of the IPTL leg in Manila:

Japan Warriors: Mirjana Lucic, Kurumi Nara, Marat Safin, Leander Paes, Philipp Kohlschreiber

Philippine Mavericks: Serena Williams, Milos Raonic, Mark Philippoussis, Treat Huey, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Jarmila Gajdosova, Richard Gasquet, Ajla Tomljanovic

Micromax Indian Aces: Rafael Nadal, Sam Stosur, Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna, Fabrice Santoro, Ivan Dodig

Obi UAE Royals: Ana Ivanovic, Tomas Berdych, Goran Ivanisevic, Kiki Mladenovic, Daniel Nestor

Oue Singapore Slammers: Belinda Bencic, Carlos Moya, Nick Kyrgios, Karolina Pliskova, Dustin Brown, Marcelo Melo

IPTL standings post-Kobe leg:

UAE 2-0 (56-35 = 61.54%)
India 2-0 (52-46 = 53.06%)
Philippines 1-1 (52-50 = 50.98%)
Singapore 1-2 (68-77 = 46.9%)
Japan 0-3 (63-83 = 43.15%)

Scheduled games:

1st game is 4pm. Second game is 715pm.

December 6: Japan-Singapore and Philippines-UAE
December 7: India-UAE and Philippines-Japan
December 8: Singapore-UAE and Philippines-India

Serena Williams leads Philippine Mavericks in 2015 IPTL

Serena leads the Mavericks

Year 2 of the International Premier Tennis League kicked off in Kobe, Japan on Wednesday, with the top women's player in the world leading the Pinoy cast.

Serena Williams leads the rebranded Philippine Mavericks, which has the lone Pinoy player on the IPTL in doubles specialist Treat Huey.

Serena had arguably one of the most impressive seasons in WTA history, being able to hold all four Grand Slams simultaneously by winning the Australian, French, and Wimbledon to complete the "Serena Slam" with the 2014 US Open.

Her greatness is already assured by being the active leader in combined titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, whether male or female. She's seventh all-time in Grand Slams with 34 and is 3rd all-time in weeks at number 1.

Joining Serena and Treat in the Philippine Mavericks roster are Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, Jarmila Gajdosova, Borna Coric, and team skipper Mark Philippoussis

With the Manila leg taking place starting today at the Mall of Asia Arena, PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Director Gary Dujali expressed excitement with the "level of premier entertainment" this brings to the Pinoys. He adds that this edition of the IPTL will be "bigger and more extradordinary," with more than 30 international tennis stars coming in.

PLDT HOME Fibr subscribers can avail of a 20% discount for the IPTL Manila leg, with the chance to win VIP tickets complete with a Uber Black red carpet treatment.

Women's Stepladder Playoff set between Ateneo and UE

Game today at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

10 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (Women's Stepladder Playoff)

The stepladder postseason for UAAP Season 78 women's basketball officially kicks off later this morning at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, as third seeds University of the East face fourth seeds Ateneo de Manila in a do-or-die playoff.

Led by head coach Aileen Lebornio, the Lady Warriors surprised many with their performance during the eliminations, finishing with a 7-7 record, one game ahead of Erika Dy and the Lady Eagles.

Expect an intense matchup involving Eunique Chan and Ruthlaine Tacula for UE and Danica Jose and Hazelle Yam for Ateneo. 

Both teams needed to defeat the UST Growling Tigresses to formally secure their spots in the postseason, with UE taking a 68-53 win last Sunday and Ateneo eking out a 64-53 overtime win in a playoff for the final postseason berth this past Wednesday.

The winner in this playoff faces La Salle in the stepladder semifinal at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, 10am. The Lady Archers own a twice-to-beat advantage, thanks to copping the second seed with a 12-2 record.

Defending champions National University are already in the finals by sweeping the eliminations.

UST set to defend UAAP judo crown

The UAAP judo competition for Season 78 is set to take place starting at 830am today inside the La Salle-Greenhills gym.

UST, under the tutelage of their head coach Gege Arce, is set to defend their collegiate titles. The Tiger Judokas reclaimed the men's title by dethroning Ateneo, 45-43, behind MVP Al Rolan Llamas, while the Lady Judokas counted on MVP Annie Ramirez and Princess Lucman to fend off Ateneo, 42-32.

UST seems set to be able to continue their dominance in this sport, as they are the favorites to add to their championship tally of eleven men's and seven women's crowns.

In the high school ranks, Ateneo is set to fend off UST and La Salle-Zobel in defending their title. The Blue Eaglets relied on MVP Christian Clemente and Jose Ariel Querubin to claim the championship last year.

Gelo Alolino claims back-to-back UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week nods

National University coach Eric Altamirano will not hesitate to give the ball to Gelo Alolino when the game is on the line. And the Bulldogs found themselves in that situation in the UAAP men's basketball tournament last Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.


Running off a pick-and-roll play, Alolino faked out Francis Tamsi to convert the game-winning jumper with 33.5 seconds left, giving the defending champions a 70-68 win over Far Eastern University.


Alolino finished with 20 points, 15 coming in the second half, while going toe-to-toe with his counterpart Mike Tolomia in last season’s finals rematch. He also contributed four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 33 minutes of action for the Bulldogs.


“He is the type of player who loves the ball come endgame,” said Altamirano.


Despite playing hero, Alolino credited the great screens that Jeff Javillonar and Alfred Aroga gave him on that key possession, freeing him up for that game-winning sequence.


Alolino’s standout plays earned him a second straight ACCEL Quantum/3XVI-UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week honor.


The fifth-year guard bested University of Santo Tomas’ Kevin Ferrer, La Salle's Jeron Teng and Prince Rivero, and University of the East's Clark Derige and Chris Javier for the weekly individual award given by sports scribes from national dailies and online portals.


Altamirano reaffirmed Alolino and the rest of his team’s readiness next week, whether the Bulldogs will battle La Salle in a playoff or UST in the Final Four.


The Bulldogs ended their elimination run with a 7-7 record to have the inside track on the last Final Four berth. Only La Salle, running fifth at 6-7, can forge a playoff for the fourth spot.


“We are just going to wait for the result of Wednesday's game (between FEU and La Salle),” said Altamirano. “Ang important lang, na-hurdle namin yung assignments namin (What's important is that we were able to hurdle our assignments).”

Fate of FIBA Olympic Qualifying hosting moved to January

The waiting will have to be a little bit longer.

FIBA on Thursday revealed that it has moved the announcement of the three winning bidders for the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments from its previously scheduled date of November 23 to January 2016. Also being moved to that month is the Draw Ceremony to determine the composition of the different tournaments.

The FIBA Executive Committee only cited "technical reasons" behind the postponement in informing the 10 national basketball federations that made a bid for the hosting rights (Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Serbia, Turkey, and the Philippines).

The Olympic Qualifying Tournaments are the means FIBA has of determining the final three berths in the Rio Olympics next August, with the champions of each tournament securing a spot in the competition.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inc., under the stewardship of its President, Manny V. Pangilinan, put it a bid for the right to host one of the Qualifiers before the deadline FIBA set, in the aftermath of losing to China in the finals of the FIBA-Asia Championships.

FIBA has until the end of the year to evaluate the bids of all the participating federations in this process.

Global Partnership set between NBA and Tissot

Recently, the NBA and Swiss brand Tissot entered into a multi-year global partnership, with the latter becoming the first Official Timekeeper of the NBA, the WNBA, and the NBA D-League.

The partnership is the Swiss company's largest in its 160+ year history, and the first one with a major North American sports league involved.

Tissot's President François Thiébaud says, "Tissot is very proud to join the NBA and to be able to create a bond with the players and the fans. The emotions and the spirit behind the sport will further translate into our products.  Our daily work is to dress time.  We create pieces of beauty and accuracy but above all of emotionality and that is what sport, and more particularly the NBA, is about."

The alliance sees Tissot work with the NBA in developing a state-of-the-art integrated timing system, including Tissot-branded shot clocks, that is set to be implemented by the 2016-17 season.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says, "In basketball every second – or even tenth of a second – can be critical, and this new partnership with Tissot will bring state-of-the-art timing technology to every NBA arena. We are proud to partner with Tissot, a world-class brand with a long history of developing innovative and dependable timekeeping systems."

Tissot, meanwhile, will receive global league licensing rights for timepieces, watches, clocks, and watch accessories for all NBA teams. In addition, it will also become the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch at several league events, including the All-Star Week, the Draft, Summer League, and the Global Games.

In addition, the watch company will make investments across all NBA teams and league broadcast partners, as well as collaborate with the league on a global basis through events, marketing, media, and the launch of NBA-themed creative and advertising.

Open Play Fundraising #ForRogie scheduled

#ForRogie (pulled this photo from Anto Gonzales' Facebook page)

We remember Rogie Maglinas, a member of the UP men's football team, best from this Sports U segment.



However, the midfielder recently was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma), one that gradually took away his eyesight (first his right, then his left). His teammates and head coach Anto Gonzales took turns in taking care of him at the Philippine General Hospital.

Dyan Castillejo put out this report below as a follow-up from the one above. And Bob Guerrero, who has covered him during the UAAP football season, has written about him on Rappler.



In line with helping defray the medical expenses that Rogie will need, the UP football program are pitching in and doing their part.

Last Sunday, they, along with the UP College of Human Kinetics students, held a fund-raising walk.

On November 15, they will have a seven-a-side open play football at the McKinley-Hill (nee Emperador) Football Stadium. For PhP 250 per person, one would be able to play in one time slot from 4-6pm or 6-8pm.

There is also an ongoing request for blood / platelet transfusion. A+ blood type is needed and for those who are interested in donating blood for Rogie, this is how to do it:

1. Head to the front lobby at the UP PGH and secure a queue number for the blood bank.
2. Proceed there and tell the attendant that you wish to undergo plasmapheresis for Rogie Maglinas.

Those who wish to make donations can do so here:

Bank: BDO
Savings Account Name: Rogie A. Maglinas
Account No: 003000360942
Swift Code: BNORPHMM


For any queries, you may contact the UP Football team or use the contact numbers posted above.

Gatorade Run set for November

This month, Gatorade is set to join the fray of the Philippine running scene, as it is set to launch its own running event this month.

Dubbed the Gatorade Run, it will take place at the Seaside Boulevard at vicinity of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on November 22.

According to Pepsico Philippines Marketing Manager for Hydration Tony Atayde, the Gatorade Run "will cap off what has been a historic year for us." He adds that this event serves as a platform to "reinforce our message of proper hydration," given its role as a global leader in sports performance and with its sports science expertise.

At the event proper, Gatorade will feature a hydration station where runners can get pre-race hydration drinks, a warm-up area where those who would like a full-on warm-up activity before the running proper can do so, and a post-run hydration test area where they can learn about their hydration status instantly.


Participants can opt to run in two distances:

11km: 5am gun-start with PhP 1,100 registration fee
22km: 4am gun-start with PhP 1,500 registration fee

Registration is currently ongoing at runrio.com/gatorade-run-1122 until November 13. Runners who have registered can claim their pre-race kits (containing an Adidas race tee, a race bib, and a timing chip) from November 16 to 19. Participants who are able to finish the race will also receive a finishers tee from Adidas.

2015 had been a special year for Gatorade even before the establishment of the Gatorade Run, with the brand celebrating its 50th birthday, the launch of a new variant dubbed as "White Lightning," and the introduction of a powerhouse cast of brand ambassadors.

23-man Filipino roster for Philippines against Yemen squad called up

The Philippine Football Federation on Friday officially called up 23 men for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifer / AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Yemen on November 12.

Amani Aguinaldo
Misagh Bahadoran
Kenshiro Daniels
Patrick Deyto
Neil Etheridge
Rob Gier
Juani Guirado
Kevin Ingreso
Jerry Lucena
Paul Mulders
Roland Mueller
Manny Ott
Stephan Palla
Javier Patino
OJ Porteria
Iain Ramsay
Patrick Reichelt
Simone Rota
Daisuke Sato
Stephan Schroeck
Martin Steuble
Dennis Villanueva
Phil Younghusband

Notable among the inclusions is Younghusband, who is suspended for this match due to card accumulation.

Tickets for the dual qualifier, which will be played at Rizal Memorial Stadium, are available via TicketWorld. It will also be televised on ABS-CBN Sports+Action. Kickoff is slated at 8pm.

UP seeking fourth straight win in UAAP women's basketball

Women's basketball resumes later today with a quadruple header of matches at the Blue Eagle Gym, after the UAAP went on a short break to observe the Halloween and All Saints' Day weekend .

These matches were originally scheduled to take place last October 18, but were postponed due to complications from the weather disturbance Lando.

Opening the session are the suddenly red-hot University of the Philippines against the University of Santo Tomas at 9am.

The 3-7 Lady Maroons are seeking to win their fourth straight game this season after losing their previous twenty-five matches. A win against the 5-5 Tigresses would tighten the race for the last two available postseason slots.

Meanwhile, current pacesetters NU and La Salle seek to continue their form against separate opposition.

The Lady Bulldogs go up against Ateneo at 11am, seeking to extend their winning streak to 11 games this season with reigning MVP Afril Bernardino and fellow national team mainstays Shelley Gupilan, Andrea Tongco, and Jack Animam.

Meanwhile, the Lady Archers face Adamson to close out the day at 3pm. Led by the playmaking of Camille Claro and the shooting of Ana Castillo, the gals of Cholo Villanueva will officially secure at least a twice-to-beat advantage in the postseason with a victory over the Lady Falcons.

Completing the quadruple-header is the matchup of neighbors UE and FEU at 1pm.

Their male counterparts also are set to resume action today, this time with a double-header at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

UE and UP seek to keep their Final Four hopes alive against separate opposition, as the Red Warriors face UST at 2pm, followed by the Fighting Maroons against Ateneo at 4pm.

International presence dot NBA rosters

The NBA continues to make itself a more global league, with over a hundred international players making opening night rosters this season.

It is the second consecutive year that the NBA has at least that number of players from abroad, including a record number of African (ten) and Brazilian (nine) players.

Canada once again comprises the biggest bulk of international players with twelve, while France has ten. Completing the top five are Australia (eight), Croatia and Spain (four each).

All thirty teams have one international player on their roster for the second straight season. Interestingly enough, the only non-American team has the most number of international players. Toronto has seven international players, with Cleveland, Minnesota, San Antonio, and Utah each have six. Atlanta, Dallas, and Denver have five players each, while Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, and Orlando each have four.

Already three of the newest international players have had impressive debuts with their teams:

Mario Hezonja contributed eleven points, three rebounds, and two assists off the bench for Orlando in their 88-87 loss to Washington.

Emmanuel Mudiay almost logged in 38 minutes in Denver's 105-85 win over Houston. He almost secured a double-double with seventeen points and nine assists.

Kristaps Porzingis scored sixteen points in his debut for New York's 122-97 win over Milwaukee, then followed that up with almost a double-double (ten points, eight rebounds) in their 112-101 loss to Atlanta.

The increased international presence of the NBA continues to manifest itself, with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories, in 47 languages. NBA merchandise are already available in over 125,000 stores in a hundred countries worldwide, including two NBA Stores in the Philippines.

Here are the international players on NBA rosters:

Argentina: Pablo Prignoni (LA Clippers), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio), Luis Scola (Toronto)
Australia: Cameron Bairstow (Chicago), Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland), Aron Baynes (Detroit), Andrew Bogut (Golden State), Patty Mills (San Antonio). Dante Exum (Utah), Joe Ingles (Utah)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jusuf Nurkic (Denver), Mirza Teletovic (Phoenix)
Brazil: Tiago Splitter (Atlanta), Cristiano Felicio (Chicago), Anderson Varejao (Cleveland), Leandro Barbosa (Golden State), Marcelo Huertas (LA Lakers), Bruno Caboclo (Toronto), Lucas Nogueira (Toronto), Raul Neto (Utah), Nene (Washington)
Cameroon: Luc Mbah a Moute (LA Clippers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)
Canada: Kelly Olynyk (Boston), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland), Dwight Powell (Dallas), Joel Anthony (Detroit), Robert Sacre (LA Lakers), Tyler Ennis (Milwaukee), Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota), Andrew Nicholson (Orlando), Nik Stauskas (Philadelphia), Anthony Bennett (Toronto), Cory Joseph (Toronto), Trey Lyles (Utah)
Cape Verde: Walter Tavares (Atlanta)
Congo: Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City)
Croatia: Bojan Bogdanovic (Brooklyn), Damjan Rudez (Minnesota), Mario Hezonja (Orlando), Duje Dukan (Sacramento)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver), Bismack Biyombo (Toronto)
Dominican Republic: Al Hofrord (Atlanta), Luis Montero (Portland)
France: Nicolas Batum (Charlotte), Joffrey Lauvergne (Denver), Ian Mahinmi (Indiana), Damien Inglis (Milwaukee), Alexis Ajinca (New Orleans), Kevin Seraphin (New York), Evan Fournier (Orlando), Boris Diaw (San Antonio), Tony Parker (San Antonio), Rudy Gobert (Utah)
Georgia: Zaza Pachulia (Dallas)
Germany: Dennis Schroeder (Atlanta), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Tibor Pleiss (Utah)
Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
Israel: Omri Casspi (Sacramento)
Italy: Andrea Bargnani (Brooklyn), Danilo Gallinari (Denver), Marco Belinelli (Sacramento)
Latvia: Kristaps Porzingis (New York)
Lithuania: Donatas Montejunas (Houston), Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto)
Montenegro: Nikola Mirotic (Chicago), Nikola Pekovic (Minnesota), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando)
New Zealand: Steven Adams (Oklahoma City)
Nigeria: Festus Ezeli (Golden State)
Poland: Marcin Gortat (Washington)
Puerto Rico: JJ Barea (Dallas)
Russia: Sergey Karasev (Brooklyn), Sasha Kaun (Cleveland), Timofey Mozgov (Cleveland)
Senegal: Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota)
Serbia: Nikola Jokic (Denver), Nemanja Bjelica (Minnesota), Boban Marinovic (San Antonio)
Slovenia: Beno Udrih (Memphis), Goran Dragic (Miami), Sasha Vujacic (New York)
South Sudan: Luol Deng (Miami)
Spain: Pau Gasol (Chicago), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota), Jose Calderon (New York)
Sweden: Jonas Jerebko (Boston)
Switzerland: Thabo Sefolosha (Atlanta), Clint Capela (Houston)
Tunisia: Salah Mejri (Dallas)
Turkey: Ersan Ilyasova (Detroit), Omer Asik (New Orleans), Enes Kanter (Oklahoma City)
Ukraine: Alex Len (Phoenix)
US Virgin Islands: Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Venezuela: Greivis Vasquez (Milwaukee)

La Salle secures finals berth in UAAP women's table tennis

La Salle swept its way through the eliminations in UAAP women's table tennis at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday.

The Lady Paddlers from Taft eked out a 3-2 win over Far Eastern University to complete a 14-game sweep of the elimination round, thus securing a finals berth with the thrice-to-beat advantage.

They had been dominant in the second round, securing 3-0 scorelines throughout until this matchup.

In spite of the defeat, the Morayta-based paddlers finished second with an 11-3 record. They already secured a twice-to-beat advantage and will await the winner of the stepladder playoff between UP and UST slated later.

On the men's bracket, La Salle topped the eliminations with a 3-2 victory over UST, finishing with a 13-1 record and the twice-to-beat advantage against fourth seeds NU.

In spite of the defeat, the Tiger Paddlers ended up with a 12-2 record and will have the twice to beat advantage against FEU in the Final Four.

Ateneo seeks to replicate feat in UAAP Swimming

The Rizal Memorial Swimming Pool is set to host the UAAP Season 78 Swimming tournament, which starts today at 8am and lasts until the end of the week.

Ateneo is set to defend its triple crown this season, having been the dominant powerhouse in the boys' portion of high school swimming for the past decade, while having success in the collegiate ranks.

The Blue Eagles, who are seeking their third title in four seasons, are led by Season 77 MVP and veteran international tanker Jessie Khing Lacuna, team captain Axel Ngui, and Season 77 Rookie of the Year Aldo Batungbacal.

The Lady Eagles, who are seeking a back-to-back nod after ending a six-year drought, are led by Season 77 MVP and veterna international tanker Hannah Dato, team captain Basille Uy, and Season 77 Rookie of the Year Ariana Herranz.

Lacuna and Dato each won seven gold medals last season, all of them in record time, on their way to being named as Ateneo's Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.

Leading the charge in trying to topple these Blue Tankers are UP, UST, and La Salle, while National University is making its debut this season. UST is also the only non-Ateneo team holding a Season 77 swimming championship, thanks to its girls' division crown.

Second Philippine NBA Store opens in SM Megamall

Pinoy NBA fans had a blast last Friday, as the league opened its second NBA Store in the country at the SM Megamall.

Located at the Mega Fashion Hall,  the SM Megamall NBA Store had five-time NBA champion Ron Harper as a special guest to open the facility and conduct a "meet and greet" with select fans.

Much like the first store in Glorietta, the NBA store will offer authentic NBA merchandise and memorabilia, with an extensive selection of products from all 30 teams. There will also be a personalized jersey service to be offered. Also, items from the different apparel brands (Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, New Era, Spalding, Stance, et al) will be made available for purchase.

International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. President and CEO Melvin Lloyd Lim gushed about the upcoming opening, "The initial flagship NBA Store in Glorietta has established itself as the premier destination for NBA fanatics in the country and we could not be more excited to fuel their passion with the unveiling of our second store. By opening our doors in the heart of Metro Manila, we look forward to providing more fans access to a comprehensive assortment of NBA merchandise, bringing the authentic NBA shopping experience to Filipinos." IATC manages both NBA Stores here in the country, and in fact, IATC and NBA Philippines were rewarded with a Gold Award from the 2015 Asia Sports Industry Awards for "Best Sports Retail Campaign."

NBA Asia's AVP and Country Manager for the Philippines Carlo Singson is thrilled "to expand our footprint with the opening of the second NBA Store in the Philippines." He adds, "IATC is the ideal partner in our efforts to outfit more Filipinos in their favorite NBA apparel and to offer the widest range of NBA merchandise in the Philippines."

Manila North set for 3x3 World Tour

In a matter of hours, the Philippines' lone representative in the 2015 FIBA 3x3 World Tour is set to begin its campaign at Abu Dhabi.

Manila Masters runners-up Team Manila North, composed of Calvin Abueva, Karl Dehesa, Troy Rosario, and Vic Manuel, will battle it out in Pool D play against Slovenia's Kranj and Qatar's Doha early Friday Manila time.

Only two teams per pool will advance to the quarterfinals, which will then turn into a knockout tourney until a champ is crowned.

On their chances, Abueva says, "Laban lang kami para sa bayan. Basta kami, ibibigay namin lahat ng makakaya para sa Filipinas."

Manila North dethroned last year's lone Pinoy representatives Manila West in the semifinals back in August, before bowing to defending FIBA 3x3 World Tour final champions Novi Sad Al-Wahda in the final.

The other teams participating in the tournament are:

Pool A: Novi Sad, Rio, Vilnius
Pool B: Ljubljana, Santos, Denver
Pool C: Trbovlje, Kolobrzeg, New York-Harlem

Consolidated UAAP Season 78 second round basketball schedule

Here are the games for the second round. Games in italics are women's games, all of which will be played at the Blue Eagle Gym.

October 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena

2pm UP vs Adamson
4pm NU vs UE

October 11 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

9am Adamson vs UP
11am NU vs UE
11am FEU vs Ateneo
1pm La Salle vs UST
3pm Ateneo vs FEU
4pm UST vs La Salle

October 14 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

2pm La Salle vs UE
4pm FEU vs UP

October 17 at the Mall of Asia Arena

2pm Ateneo vs Adamson
4pm UST vs NU

October 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena (Since been postponed. Women's games moved to November 4, men's games to November 18)

9am UST vs UP
11am NU vs Ateneo
1pm UE vs FEU
2pm UE vs UP
3pm Adamson vs La Salle
4pm FEU vs La Salle

October 21 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

2pm NU vs Adamson
4pm Ateneo vs UST

October 22 at the Blue Eagle Gym

9am Ateneo vs UP
11am La Salle vs UE
1pm Adamson vs FEU
3pm NU vs UST

October 24 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

2pm La Salle vs Adamson
4pm FEU vs UE

October 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena

9am FEU vs La Salle
11am UP vs UE
1pm NU vs Adamson
2pm Ateneo vs NU
3pm UST vs Ateneo
4pm UP vs UST

October 28 at the Mall of Asia Arena

2pm Adamson vs FEU
4pm NU vs La Salle

November 4 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

2pm UST vs UE
4pm UP vs Ateneo

November 7 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

2pm UE vs Adamson
4pm FEU vs UST

November 8 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseim

9am UE vs Ateneo
11am La Salle vs UP
11am NU vs UP
1pm FEU vs NU
3pm UST vs Adamson
4pm La Salle vs Ateneo

November 11 ar the SMART-Araneta Coliseum

9am UP vs NU
11am La Salle vs Ateneo
1pm UST vs FEU
2pm UST vs Adamson
3pm UE vs Adamson
4pm UP vs La Salle

November 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena

2pm Ateneo vs UE
4pm NU vs FEU

November 15 at the Blue Eagle Gym

9am NU vs La Salle
11am FEU vs UP
1pm Ateneo vs Adamson
3pm UE vs UST

UAAP Season 78 Beach Volleyball kicks off

The first day of UAAP women's beach volleyball at The Sands at the SM By the Bay saw last season's finalists stumble on their opening matches and Ateneo impress on its debut.

The duo of Alyssa Valdez and Bea Tan beat the UP tandem of Arielle Estranero and Vina Alinas, 21-9 and 21-19 to kick off the Lady Eagles' season.

Both ladies are playing their final season for the Blue and White, focused on getting the championship this year.

Meanwhile, defending champions UST lost its opening assignment, a 21-16 17-21 and 15-13 defeat to Adamson's Mylene Paat and Jessica Galanza. Cherry Rondina and Rica Rivera did bounce back for the Tigresses in their second assignment of the day, a 21-14 21-14 win over NU's Roma Doromal and Jasmine Nabor.

The same can be said for La Salle, as they were tripped up by the FEU duo of Bernadeth Pons and Kyla Atienza, 21-15 17-21 and 17-15. Kim Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo did manage to reassert themselves in their 21-14 and 21-15 win over UP.

Completing the list of women's beach volleyball matches is NU's 20-22 21-19 and 15-5 triumph against UE.

In the men's side, Ateneo also making a stand, as the partnership of Marck Espejo and Ysay Marasigan defeated the UP duo of Alfred Valbuena and Evan Raymundo, 21-15 and 21-19, then followed that with a 21-16 21-23 and 15-11 hard-fought win over defending champions NU.

The Bulldog tandem of Bryan Bagunas and Madzlan Gampong did manage to notch a win, a 21-14 19-21 15-10 triumph against the Falcon pair of Rence Melgar and Michael Sudaria.

Joining Ateneo at 2-0 is UST, as the Tiger Spikers managed to secure wins against FEU (21-19 13-21 and 19-17) and UE (21-10 and 21-12).

Completing the men's matches is La Salle's 21-10 19-21 and 15-13 victory against UE.

Ateneo triumphs in UAAP women's badminton stepladder playoff

Buoyed the victory of their male counterparts in the morning, Ateneo secured the semifinal berth in UAAP women's badminton with a 3-1 win over FEU in the stepladder playoff at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

The Lady Eagles kicked things off with Bianca Carlos' 21-15 and 21-17 triumph over Thea Pomar in the first singles, while Cassie Lim doubled things up with a 23-21 and 22-20 win over Michal Duquilla.

FEU managed to prevent a sweep, as Pomar and Hannah Tudtud managed to secure a 21-18 and 22-20 result over Geva de Vera and Janel Dihiansan, cutting the lead to 2-1.

But Carlos and Lim clinched the tie for these shuttlers with a 21-9 and 21-16 decision over Duquilla and Maridel Rivera.

With the win, La Salle, which finished second in the eliminations, now serves as the final obstacle for the Lady Eagles from making a return trip to the finals, a trip that would allow them a chance to avenge last season's defeat to the University of the Philippines. The Taft-based shuttlers own a twice-to-beat advantage against their bitter rivals, whom they defeated on the opening tie of the season, highlighted by an injury to team captain Trixie Malibiran that forced two matches to be forfeited.

The semifinal is slated to take place at 1pm at the same venue.

 

Ateneo wins UAAP men's badminton stepladder

It was a reprise from this past weekend, as the Ateneo defeated the University of the Philippines in the stepladder playoff for UAAP men's badminton at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall this past Wednesday.

The Blue Eagles needed Hans Bernardo's heroics in the final singles match to secure the semifinal berth, as he dispatched Carl Clemente, 21-11 and 21-18.

The Maroon Shuttlers drew first blood as Miguel Leonardo needed three sets to beat Carlo Remo, 21-10 17-21 and 21-10, but Clarence Filart tied it 1-1 by defeating Wilson Lopez, 16-21 21-10 and 21-18.

Remo and Bernardo collaborated to give the blue shuttlers a 21-14 and 21-14 win over Leonardo and Ethan Malelang for the 2-1 lead, but Roberto Pineda and Vincent Manuel tripped Fides Bagasbas and Emilio Mangubat, 21-17 and 21-18, to force a decider.

Ateneo head coach Kennie Asuncion-Robles was proud of how the Blue Eagles performed against their Katipunan neighbors, and added that they "are ready against La Salle."

The Green Shuttlers are seeded second due to their 6-1 record and have a twice-to-beat advantage over their bitter rivals. The matchup is set to take place on Saturday, 8am, at the same venue.

The winner of this semifinal will face defending champions National University, which owns a thrice-to-beat advantage due to their sweep of the elimination round.

Pinoy Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA All-Stars rewarded with Shenzhen trip

The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA 2015 All-Stars with Nerlens Noel and Ruth Riley (L-R):
(First Row) : Joshua Garing, Heart Paraga Donor, Luisa Krizelle San Juan, Micaela Pentecostes, Nelia Jean David, Kyla Flores, Robert Alomar Castro, Ernest John Felicidad;
(Second Row): Nerlens Noel, Jeffy Mailim, Christian Allen Magno, Daniel Coo, Lloyd Raphael Oliva, Miguel Luigi Santos, Luis Sebastian Locsin, Edrian Custodio and Ruth Riley.

The Pinoy 2015 Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA All-Stars, as well as the 2015 Coach of the Year Winners are set to make the trip this weekend to China for the upcoming NBA Global Games in Shenzhen between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Charlotte Hornets, joining 56 of their counterparts from the ASEAN region.

This particular opportunity to watch the Shenzhen preseason game is part of the program's commitment to provide a fun and enriching NBA experience for its top participants. They would also have the chance to play against the ASEAN counterparts, meet NBA players / legends, as well as be able to check out some of the local landmarks.

Representing the Jr. NBA All-Stars are La Salle-Greenhills' Robert Alomar Castro and Lloyd Raphael Oliva, La Salle-Zobel's Luis Sebastian Locsin and Edrian Custodio, La Salle-Lipa's Joshua Garing, Ateneo's Miguel Luigi Santos, Corpus Christi College (Cagayan de Oro)'s Ernest John Felicilda and Jeffy Mailim, St. Albert the Great (Dagupan)'s Christian Allen Magno, and St. John's Institute (Bacolod)'s Daniel Anthony Coo.

Representing the Jr. WNBA All-Stars are Diliman Preparatory School (Quezon City)'s Nelia Jean David and Micaela Denise Pentecostes, Paranaque Science High School's Kyla Flores, Amazing Grace School (Laguna)'s Luisa Krizelle San Juan, and Assumption College (Davao)'s Heart Pagara Donor.

Accompanying the All-Stars are the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA Coaches of the Year in Gabriel Victor Tan of Lucena City and Sunshine Echavez of Puerto Princesa City.

The trip puts a bow on the 2015 Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA Program, in which over 2,500 aspirants participated from all over the country. Since its establishment in 2007, the said program has reached out to over 100,000 kids, parents, and coaches.

According to Alaska Milk Corporation's President and CEO Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, they "expect to reach more young aspiring basketball players by bringing the Jr. NBA program to more cities nationwide, and making this more inclusive with fun, engaging activities for everyone."

The Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA is the NBA's flagship youth development program aimed to promote basketball participation, sportsmanship, teamwork, and an active lifestyle. It is in line with Alaska's campaign to help foster a healthy lifestyle for Pinoy families with proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, especially with the "Nutrition. Action. Champion." program set to counter the growth of overweight and undernourished Pinoy children.

More details on the Jr. NBA program can be seen here (www.jrnba.asia/philippines) and here (www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines).

NU set to claim top seed in UAAP HS volleyball

National University continues to hold serve atop both divisions of high school volleyball heading into the penultimate set of matches in the UAAP at the Adamson Gym.

The Lady Bullpups are assured of the top seeding in the Final Four of the girls' division after defeating UE, 25-15 25-22 and 25-14. They now tote a 10-1 record.

Last season's finalists UST secured the other available twice-to-beat advantage at 9-2, as the Junior Tigresses beat La Salle-Zobel, 25-18 25-16 and 25-15.

In spite of the defeat to UST, the Junior Lady Spikers are assured of the third seed.

The race to the fourth seed will be determined on the final day, as 5-6 UE will need to win against La Salle-Zobel to snatch the berth. Otherwise, Adamson and FEU-Diliman still have a chance to secure the right to go against the defending champions next week.

On the boys' side, the Bullpups are just one win away from an automatic finals bid after a marathon against UST, 26-28 25-6 18-25 25-21 and 15-12. Defeating La Salle-Zobel will assure them that and its incentive of a thrice-to-beat advantage.

Long-time champion UE also survived a grueling duel against FEU-Diliman, 18-25 25-19 20-25 25-20 and 15-13 to go 9-2 and secure the other twice-to-beat advantage. In spite of the loss, the Baby Tamaraws are locked in as the third seed.

Ateneo and UST remain locked in a battle for the fourth seed at 5-6

UAAP Season 78 beach volleyball kicks off

UST's women's beach volleyball team won the UAAP Season 77 title last year.

UST is set to kick off its title defense for beach volleyball today, with the start of the UAAP giving them two matches for opening day at the SM by The Bay.

The Tigresses, who will have Rica Rivera and Cherry Rondina back after beating La Salle in three games last year, open the tournament against Adamson at 8am, then face NU at noon.

Seeking to redeem themselves after losing in the finals is the La Salle duo of Cyd Demecillo and Kim Fajardo, with the Lady Spikers set to face FEU at 830am, as well as against UP at 1230pm.

Meanwhile Alyssa Valdez joins forces with a comebacking Bea Tan to give a boost for Ateneo, as the Lady Eagles go up against UP at 10am.

Completing the women's matches is NU vs UE at 9am.

On the men's side, National University kicks off its quest for a fourth straight title against Adamson at 10am and against Ateneo at 1pm.

The Bulldogs will rely on Madzlan Gampong and Bryan Bagunas to extend their title reign, now that both Josephenry Tipay and Edwin Tolentino have graduated.

The other men's matches sees UST against FEU at 1030am, Ateneo vs UP at 11am, UE against La Salle at 1130am, and UST vs UE at 130pm.

Pinoy skaters make waves on the overseas rinks

Pinay skaters set to participate in the Asian Junior Figure Skating Challenge in Hong Kong on October 5-7

21 Pinay figure skaters represented the Philippines in the just-concluded Hong Kong leg of the Asian Junior Figure Skating Challenge (October 5-7). These ladies, who are between 8-17 y/o, will be going up against their counterparts from China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Chinese-Taipei, Thailand, and the hosts in various competitive divisions, including Elite Junior, Basic Junior, Basic Novice, and Basic Juvenile.

These young athletes (who are named below, along with their coaches) train regularly at the SM Skating rinks in the SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and SM Southmall.


1) Bianca Vinarao
2) Julienne Ang
3) Emee Dy
4) Mikayla Fabian
5) Ysabelle Abis
6) Charmaine Skye Chua
7) Alexa Gonzaga
8) Kara Frances Guzman
9) Aliya Isidoro
10) Dianne Gabriel Panlilio
11) Aikon Shibata
12) Aleckxis Chuidian
13) Sofia Nagrampa
14) Elaine Solomon
15) Aicel Johanna Tecson
16) Felicity Eco
17) Veronica Claire Eid
18) Ann Cathryn Lagemann
19) Kate Venturina Orrock
20) Ryza Takahashi
21) Amanda Hernandez

COACHES:

1) Abraham Domdom
2) Noni Nerida
3) Ronan Capili
4) Jerico Lim
5) Clarisse Roman
6) Al Marinas


***

Michael Martinez with some of the Pinoy skaters

In addition to the ladies above, four skaters, including the lone Pinoy Winter Olympian Michael Martinez, participated in the ISU Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in Bangkok a few months ago (August 5-8).

Martinez defeated eight other skaters from Japan, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Australia, and India for the Senior Men's nod, while Sofia Guidote finished fourth in Basic Novice B Girls division.

Also participating are Diane Panlilio, who finished 19th of 23 in Basic Novice A Girls division, and Jules Alpe, who finished 9th of 11 in the Junior Men division.

Recap of September 23 matches in UAAP women's badminton

Ateneo continued to survive the absence of team captain Trixie Malibiran, as the Lady Eagles escaped with a 3-2 win over Far Eastern University.

Cassie Lim needed three sets to defeat Thea Pomar, 15-21 21-19 and 21-17, while Bianca Carlos easily handled Michal Duquilla, 21-9 and 21-15, which gave Ateneo a 2-0 lead.

Geva de Vera and Janel Dihiansan claimed the clinching win for these lady shuttlers with a 21-10 and 21-9 triumph over Pomar and Hannah Tudtud.

The Lady Tamaraws did manage to win the two remaining matches in play, a 21-19 19-21 23-21 win by Duquilla and Maridel Rivera over Carlos and Lim, as well as Tudtud's 21-12 and 21-18 victory over Samantha Santos.

***

The University of Santo Tomas secured a 4-1 victory over NU in their tie, bouncing back from being thrashed by the defending champions in their previous match.

Steffi Aquino kicked things off with a 21-13 and 21-9 win over Marinel Diansay, while Patricia Barredo survived Jiselle Capillo's game to take a 19-21 21-12 and 21-10 triumph.

NU managed to get on the board with a 12-21 21-17 and 21-15 win from Loverly Magallano and Amica Du-ay over Ma. Victoria Vismonte and Airish Macalinao.

But the Espana-based shuttlers claimed the tie with Barredo and Aquino joining forces to secure a 22-20 and 21-9 victory over Diansay and Capillo.

Capping off the tie is Macalinao's 21-17 17-21 and 21-10 win over Magallano.

***

Adamson secuired their first win of the season, defeating UE, 3-2.

The Lady Warriors got on the board first, as Lyra Rosal defeating Clydel Pada, 13-21 21-17 and 21-15. But the Lady Falcons equalized with Christine Garin's 23-21 10-21 and 21-13 triumph over Heide Rosal.

UE would retake the lead after the Rosal siblings defeating Garin and Mikaela Aquino, 21-15 and 21-15, but Pada and Jhay Anne Macabenta tied it again with a 18-21 21-18 and 21-16 victory over Erycka Labay and Pamela Fernandez.

Aquino would then clinch the tie with a 21-14 and 21-14 decision over Labay.

***

Defending champions UP extended their winning run with a 3-2 victory over La Salle.

Mary Ann Maranon set the table with a 15-21 21-15 and 21-11 win over Arianne Rivera, while the Lady Maroons doubled up with a 21-16 and 21-15 decision over Maria Angela Sevilla, 21-16 and 21-15.

Jessie Francisco and Lea Inlayo secured the tie for the Diliman-based shuttlers with a 22-20 and 21-19 result against Alyssa Leonardo and Kristelle Salatan.

DLSU did manage to clean up the remaining matches, with Sevilla and Aries Montilla's 21-10 and 21-19 victory over Maranon and Marina Caculitan, as well as Nicole Albo's 21-19 17-21 and 21-14 decision over Inlayo.

Spikers' Turf 1st Season Reinforced Conference Schedule

Here are the Spikers' Turf games scheduled starting this weekend:

October 10
3pm Air Force vs IEM (October 12 telecast)
5pm Navy vs Sta. Elena (October 13 telecast)

October 11
5pm PLDT Home Ultera vs Cignal (October 14 telecast)

October 17
3pm Cignal vs Air Force (October 19 telecast)
5pm Sta. Elena vs PLDT Home Ultera (October 20 telecast)

October 18
5pm IEM vs Navy (October 21 telecast)

October 24
3pm Navy vs Air Force  (October 26 telecast)
5pm PLDT Home Ultera vs IEM (October 27 telecast)

October 25
5pm Sta. Elena vs Cignal (October 28 telecast)

November 4
1pm Air Force vs Sta. Elena (November 5 telecast)
3pm Navy vs PLDT Home Ultera (November 6 telecast)
5pm Cignal vs IEM (November 9 telecast)

November 7
3pm IEM vs Sta. Elena (November 10 telecast)
5pm Cignal vs Navy (November 11 telecast)

November 8
5pm PLDT Home Ultera vs Air Force (November 12 telecast)

November 11
3pm playoffs (if necessary, November 13 telecast)

Top 4 teams advance to semifinals (top 2 secure twice-to-beat advantage)

November 14 & 15
3pm Game 1 of semifinals (November 16 & 17 telecast)

November 18
3pm Game 2 of semifinals (if necessary, and if only one series goes the distance, slated for November 19 telecast)

November 21 & 22
3pm Game 2 of semifinals (if necessary, slated for November 23 & 24 telecast)

November 28, December 5, and December 12 (if necessary)
3pm 3rd place game (November 30, December 7, and December 14 telecast)

November 29, December 6, and December 13 (if necessary)
3pm the Finals (December 1, December 8, and December 15 telecast)

V-League Season 12 Reinforced Conference schedule

Here are the V-League matches scheduled starting this weekend:

October 10

1245pm Navy vs UP

October 11
1245pm Coast Guard vs PLDT Home Ultera
3pm Kia Forte vs Army

October 17
1245pm Coast Guard vs Navy

October 18
1245pm Army vs UP
3pm PLDT Home Ultera vs Kia Forte

October 24
1245pm UP vs Coast Guard

October 25
1245pm Kia Forte vs Navy
3pm Army vs PLDT Home Ultera

October 31
1245pm PLDT Home Ultera vs UP
3pm Coast Guard vs Kia Forte (November 1 telecast)
5pm Navy vs Army (November 1 telecast)

November 7
1245pm PLDT Home Ultera vs Navy

November 8
1245pm Army vs Coast Guard
3pm UP vs Kia Forte

November 11
5pm playoffs (if necessary, slated for November 15 telecast)

Top 4 teams advance to semifinals (top 2 secure twice-to-beat advantage)

November 14 & 15
1245pm Game 1 of semifinals

November 18
5pm Game 2 of semifinals (if necessary, and if only one series goes the distance, slated for November 22 telecast)

November 21 & 22
1245pm Game 2 of semifinals (if necessary)

November 28, December 5, and December 12 (if necessary)
1245pm 3rd place game

November 29, December 6, and December 13 (if necessary)
1245pm the Finals

NU sweep first round of UAAP women's basketball, extend streak to 23

National University extended its winning streak to 23 games this past weekend, easily dispatching Far Eastern University, 86-43, to highlight the final playdate for the first round in UAAP women's basketball at the Blue Eagle Gym.

The defending champions went on a 22-4 run in the first period and never looked back, leading by as much as 54 points in yielding the largest beatdown so far this season.

Reigning MVP Afril Bernardino led the Lady Bulldogs with a 20-10 performance, while adding four steals and three blocks to her lone assist. Shelley Gupilan and Gemma Miranda combined for twenty points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

Yetunde Okunlola's thirteen points and six rebounds led the Lady Tamaraws, who have struggled to a 1-6 record after making the finals last season.

Keeping pace with NU is La Salle, which won its sixth straight game after defeating UST, 67-56.

The Lady Archers pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the victory, as Ara Abaca and Camille Claro fended off the charge of the Tigresses in the final 4 minutes.

Abaca would finish with a team-high 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Claro added 12 points, three rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Ana Castillo contributed 13 markers.

Maica Cortes led UST with thirteen points and twelve rebounds before fouling out with 2:40 left.

The surprising University of the East kept the University of the Philippines winless in the first round with a 56-51 victory, with Ruthlaine Tacula topscoring with eighteen points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

The Lady Maroons coped with Bea Daez's absence with Janeena Tatel's game-high 21 points and 18 rebounds.

Ateneo ended its first round with back-to-back wins, beating Adamson, 49-39.

Danica Jose and Hazelle Yam keyed the Lady Eagles' strong start against the Lady Falcons, then took care of things in the endgame to secure their third win of the season.

The duo combined for 27 points as the only players in double figures for Erika Dy.

Jamie Alcoy led Adamson with eleven markers.

NU (86) – Bernardino 20, Gupilan 10, Miranda 10, Animam 8, Tongco 6, Itesi 6, Sison 5, Nabalan 4, Del Carmen 4, Riel 4, Antiquiera 3, Paig 2, Abriam 2, Layug 2, Reyes 0, Harada 0.
FEU (43) – Okunlola 13, Arellado 11, Baldonado 6, Castro 5, Gerner 4, Ballecer 2, Quiapo 2, Adriano 0, Ventura 0, Hortaleza 0, Abat 0, Payadon 0.

Quarters: 22-4, 46-16, 68-24, 86-43.

La Salle (67) – Abaca 14, Castillo 13, Claro 12, Ong 10, Revillosa 6, Vela 4, Dagdagan 3, Penaranda 3, Vergara 2, Roxas 0, Arciga 0, Oyao 0.
UST (56) - Cortes 13, Penaflor 12, Isanan 11, Angeles 10, Anies 5, Larosa 4, Brillante 1, Magdaluyo 0, Felisarta 0, Gandalla 0, Jerez 0, Capilit 0.

Quarters: 20-10, 29-25, 44-43, 67-56.

UE (56) – Tacula 18, Ano-os 11, Sto. Domingo 8, Chan 6, Mendina 6, Ramos 3, Francisco 2, Taguiam 2, Sampaga 0, Bale 0, Nama 0.
UP (51) - Tatel 21, Pesquera 15, Isip 5, Aliermo 4, Oliva 3, Rodas 2, Esplana 1, Ordoveza 0, Medina 0, Franco 0, Eder 0, Cruz 0, Lapid 0.

Quarters: 13-15, 33-23, 47-39, 56-51.

Ateneo (49) – Jose 14, Yam 13, Guytingco 6, Go 4, Deacon 4, Tomita 3, Aseron 3, Buendia 2, Javier 0, Nitorreda 0, Newsome 0, Posadas 0, Payac 0, Moslares 0
Adamson (39) – Alcoy 11, De Castro 10, Cochico 6, Tacitac 4, Lacson 4, Osano 2, Aciro 2, Generoso 0, Araja 0, Ido 0, Diaz 0, Tabanao 0, Pingol 0

Quarters: 16-4, 28-8, 31-22, 49-39. 

Kevin Ferrer nabs back-to-back Player of the Week nods

A "family" atmosphere has buoyed the strong start of UST this season, a start that got them atop the league standings.

According to head coach Bong dela Cruz, this kind of atmosphere was fostered since their off-season team-building, and that he hopes this stretch of good fortune continues on.

And much of that credit goes to Kevin Ferrer, who was named as the Player of the Week by the UAAP Press Corps, beating out La Salle's Jeron Teng and Adamson's Jerome Garcia.

Saddled with foul trouble that limited him to sixteen minutes overall, the Sinag standout opened the fourth quarter by scoring ten straight points for the Growling Tigers, allowing them to pull away against the Green Archers in their 77-61 win last September 30.

More than his scoring effort, it was his leadership that aided the team. UST struggled early on against the former champions, trailing by as much as 14. He got them together and they managed to shake off the slow start, riding on the hot hands of the likes of Kyle Suarez, Louie Vigil, Ed Daquioag and Karim Abdul.

Dela Cruz noted that Kevin is setting the example as leader to his teammates, although the 6'4" wingman is just merely elated to share his spotlight to his "brothers."

"Sobrang saya ko kasi nagse-step up na yung mga kapatid ko," he said. "Unang una pa lang, sabi ko sa kanila na kailangang lahat tayo mag-step up, lalo na sa defense kasi yun talaga ang magpapanalo sa amin. Nangyari na nga yung situation kaya masayang masaya kami.”

UAAP badminton stepladder postseason set

Games today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall:

8 am – Ateneo vs UP (men step-ladder playoff)
1 pm – Ateneo vs FEU (women step-ladder playoff)

Badminton kicks off its postseason at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall today, with Ateneo's blue shuttlers set to face off against separate opposition in a knockout duel to kick off the step-ladder format.

The men take the court first at 8am against UP, while the women face FEU at 1pm.

In what turned out to be an eventual preview this past weekend, the Blue Eagles outlasted the Maroon Shuttlers, 3-2.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles also beat the Lady Tamaraws by the same scoreline in their matchup last September during the eliminations.

The winners would then face La Salle in the semifinals on Saturday, with the Green Shuttlers holding the twice-to-beat advantage after finishing second in the eliminations.

Already waiting in the finals, which is scheduled to take place starting October 14, are defending champions NU (men) and UP (women). Both squads earned their berths after finishing the eliminations with 7-0 sweeps.

UAAP Cheerdance Competition today

National University is dead set on setting its "L3gacy" today at the Mall of Asia Arena, as its Pep Squad is set to defend its crown in the UAAP Season 78 Cheerdance Competition.

After a sixth-place finish in 2011, they have made the podium in the last three seasons, winning the last two. They are now at the cusp of replicating the feats of the Salinggawi Dance Troupe and the University of the Philippines Pep Squad if they accomplish the three-peat.

Those two squads, who completed the podium last season, lead the pack of those attempting to deny NU that historical feat.

Meanwhile, the FEU Cheering Squad seeks to defend its title in the group stunts category, with NU seeking to reclaim that crown after losing it last year.

The Cheerdance Competition comes a day before rivals Ateneo and La Salle are set to face off at the same venue.

Order of performances:

UP
La Salle
Ateneo
NU
UE
Adamson
FEU
UST

Recap of September 20 matches in UAAP women's badminton

After dealing with Trixie Malibiran's injury that cost them their opener, the Ateneo Lady Eagles bounced back to destroy Adamson, 5-0, in the UAAP women's badminton tournament at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Cassie Lim ably replaced Malibiran in the rotation, beating Alyssa San Pedro in the second singles match, 21-7 and 21-13. Unsurprisingly, Season 76 MVP Bianca Carlos breezed past Mikaela Aquino, 21-7 and 21-7 in the first singles match.

Geva De Vera and Jana Dihiansan clinched the win for these lady shuttlers with a 21-10 and 21-7 triumph over Christine Garin and Maggie Villacorta. Carlos and Nicole Nieto then dispatched Aquino and Clydel Pada, 21-14 and 21-12 in the other doubles match.

Completing the sweep is Samantha Santos, who took care of things against Pada, 21-14 and 21-11.

***

Also conducting a sweep like the Lady Eagles is Far Eastern University, who accomplished it against the University of the East.

Thea Pomar beat Erycka Labay, 21-15 and 21-12 to set the tone first for the tie. Michal Duqilla then followed suit with a 21-15 and 21-8 smashing of Lyra Rosal.

Securing the tie for the Lady Tamaraws is the doubles tandem of Pomar and Hannah Tudtud. The duo beat Labay and Pamela Fernandez, 21-10 and 21-10. Duqilla and Maridel Rivera then beat out the Rosal siblings (Heide and Lyra), 22-20 and 21-18 to make it four straight.

The sweep was then secured by Tudtud, who defeated Heide, 21-9 and 21-13.

***

Joining the 5-0 party are the defending champions UP. The Lady Maroons showed no mercy against the University of Santo Tomas.

Team skipper Bea Bernardo kicked things off with a 21-18 and 21-18 win over Steffi Aquino, while doubling this up is Ann Maranon's 21-9 and 21-7 demolition of Airish Macalinao.

Jessie Francisco and Lea Inlayo then secured the tie with a 21-12 and 21-16 triumph over Aquino and Patricia Barredo. Bernardo and Elisha Ongcuangco then dispatched Macalinao and Victoria Vizmonte, 21-8 and 21-16.

Capping this sweep is Inlayo's 14-21 23-21 and 21-18 win over Barredo.

***

The only tie that did not end in a sweep is La Salle's 4-1 result over National University.

Ariane Rivera opened with a 21-13 and 21-16 win over Amica Du-ay in the first singles. Anghela Sevilla then made it 2-0 with a 21-9 and 21-18 win over Jiselle Capillo.

Doubles action also went to DLSU's favor, as team skipper Kristelle Salatan and Alyssa Leonardo won against Du-ay and Loverly Magallano, 21-8 19-21 and 21-11, while Sevilla and Aires Montilla beat Capillo and Marinel Diansay, 21-9 and 21-17.

Magallano denied a sweep by defeating Lindsay Tercias, 21-17 and 21-17.

Recap of September 23 matches in UAAP men's badminton

Defending champions National University continued to impress in UAAP men's badminton, defeating the University of the Philippines, 5-0, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Keeyan Gabuelo kicked off the proceedings with a 21-19 and 21-19 victory over Joseph Lopez, while Ross Pedrosa took care of Jon Masongsong, 21-9 and 21-15.

Ariel Magnaye and Alvin Morada clinched the tie by defeating Roberto Pineda and Vinci Manuel, 21-15 and 21-15. Pedrosa and Paul Gonzales then defeated Joaquin Deato and CK Clemente, 21-19 16-21 and 21-19, in the second doubles match, before Magnaye completed the sweep with a 21-17 and 21-15 wrap over Miggy Leonardo.

***

La Salle kept in-step with NU after they took care of business against Ateneo, 4-1.

Gerald Sibayan outlasted Clarence Filart, 21-19 and 22-20 in the first singles match, while Kenneth Monterubio triumphed over Jan Mangubat, 22-20 and 21-17.

The Green Shuttlers clinched the tie with Sibayan and Anton Cayanan beating Carlo Remo and Hanz Bernardo, 21-19 and 21-14. The Monterubio siblings (Joshua and Kenneth) then won against Filart and Fides Bagasbas, 22-20 and 21-16.

The Blue Eagles' only win came in the final match, with Bernardo beating EJ Boac, 21-13 18-21 and 21-18, in the third singles.

***

The University of the East eked out a 3-2 win against Adamson.

Arman Manlalangit survived EJ Viloria, 16-21 21-15 and 21-17, while Angelo David nosed out Kevin Fabros, 23-21 and 21-18 to give the Red Shuttlers a 2-0 lead.

UE clinched the tie with King Espiritu and Clarence Camacho's 21-13 and 21-10 win over Joshua Antonio and Jelo Iquina.

The Soaring Falcons did secure the remaining two matches, a 21-13 and 21-14 win from Viloria and Elben Concha over Manlalangit and Kenneth Cruz in the second doubles, followed by a 23-21 and 21-12 victory from Gerloth Delizo over Espiritu.

***

The University of Santo Tomas redeemed themselves with a 4-1 win over Far Eastern University.

Alcaed Sabanal got the Golden Shuttlers off to a positive start with a 21-12 19-21 and 21-7 win over Estarco Bacalsol, while John Mark Maque evened things up for the Tamaraws against Paul John Pantig, 13-21 21-15 and 21-10.

UST then secured the victory with its dominance in doubles. John Mark Sotea and Kristian Paolo Barrios beat Vince Lagnada and John Sy, 21-9 and 21-16, while Pantig and John Edgar Reyes won against Maque and Rafael Dionisio, 21-7 and 21-14.

Capping off the win for the Golden Shuttlers is Henrick Peralta, who dispatched Dionisio, 21-18 and 21-17.

National University takes 22nd straight win in UAAP women's basketball

National University extended its dominance in UAAP women's basketball to 22 straight games, manhandling winless University of the Philippines, 80-44, to kick off the quadruple-header at the Blue Eagle Gym.

The ladies of Pat Aquino muzzled leading Lady Maroon Bea Daez with their suffocating defense, limiting her to just one point.

Gemma Miranda led the now 6-0 defending champions with 13 points, while reigning MVP Afril Bernardino added 12 markers.

Janeena Tatel led UP with 12 points.

The University of the East followed up that NU win in the morning with a come-from-behind 75-65 overtime victory over the University of Santo Tomas.

Ruthlaine Tacula took over in the extension, scoring eight of her seventeen points to power the surprising Lady Warriors in the match-up.

Before Tacula's heroics, Eunique Chan and Chery Ano-os powered UE through the comeback. The former finished with a double-double performance (21 and 13 rebounds), while Ano-os ended up with an all-around thirteen-point, eight-rebound, six-assist performance.

Maica Cortes led UST with twelve points and eleven rebounds.

In the first afternoon matchup, La Salle continues to stay one step behind NU with a 75-57 triumph over Adamson.

Camille Claro led the Lady Archers with 17 points, as they pulled away in the second half against the Lady Falcons. The Season 76 champions almost doubled the output of their opponents, 45-26, in the final twenty minutes.

Jamie Alcoy led Adamson with 14 markers.

The final game of the day saw Ateneo escape with a 48-46 squeaker over fellow struggling Far Eastern University.

Hazelle Yam dazzled for the Lady Eagles with sixteen points, while Danica Jose contributed a double-double with seventeen points and eleven rebounds.

Clare Castro led last season's finalists with eighteen points, including a basket that got them to be just down by two points with two minutes remaining.

FEU had one final chance to tie the game, but Angel Arellado turned the ball over as time ran out for the ladies of Bert Flores.

NU (80) - Miranda 13, Bernardino 12, Gupilan 9, Abriam 9, Itesi 6, Riel 6, Animam 5, Antiquera 5, Sison 4, Paig 3, Harada 2, Layug 2, Tongco 1, Reyes 1, Del Carmen 1, Nabalan 1.

UP (44) – Tatel 12, Isip 11, Oliva 10, Medina 4, Esplana 4, Ordoveza 2, Daez 1, Rodas 0, Pesquera 0, Eder 0, Franco 0, Lapid 0, Cruz 0, Tan 0, Erquiaga 0.

Quarterscores: 15-7, 33-16, 60-27, 80-44.

UE (75) - Chan 21, Tacula 8, Ano-os 13, Sto. Domingo 8, Mendina 6, Taguiam 3, Bale 3, Francisco 2, Ramos 2.

UST (65) – Cortes 12, Angeles 8, Larosa 8, Isanan 8, Anies 8, Felisarta 7, Magdaluyo 5, Jerez 4, Pernia 3, Penaflor 2, Brillante 0, Portillo 0, Capilit 0, Gandalla 0, Rivera 0.

Quarterscores: 13-11, 19-28, 44-45, 64-64, 75-65.

La Salle (75) - Claro 17, Castillo 14, Abaca 13, Revillosa 8, Dagdagan 7, Vergara 5, Ong 4, Penaranda 3, Gonzales 2, Roxas 2, Vela 0, Pineda 0, Arciga 0, Oyao 0, Malarde 0.

Adamson (57) – Alcoy 14, Osano 10, Tacitac 10, Araja 8, Lacson 6, De Castro 4, Cochico 3, Ramillano 2, Generoso 0, Ido 0, Pingol 0, Tabanao 0.

Quarterscores: 10-11, 30-31, 57-42, 75-57.

Ateneo (48) - Jose 17, Yam 16, Go 5, Javier 3, Aseron 3, Guytingco 2, Posadas 2, Buendia 0, Nitorreda 0, Moslares 0, Deacon 0, Newsome 0, Tomita 0, Payac 0, Lamar 0.

FEU (46) – Castro 18, Ballecer 10, Adriano 5, Arellado 3, Ventura 2, Hortaleza 2, Quiapo 2, Baldonado 2, Okunlola 2, Abat 0, Mamaril 0, Payadon 0, Capua 0.

Quarterscores: 14-14, 32-23, 44-37, 48-46.

NU continues lead in UAAP HS volleyball eliminations

NU continues to impress in high school volleyball, as it remains atop both the girls and boys divisions in the UAAP High School volleyball tournament, as the second round kicked off during this past long holiday weekend.

The defending champions took out La Salle-Zobel, 25-18 25-21 and 21-15 to share the lead with UST. The Junior Tigresses dismantled UPIS, 25-14 25-10 and 25-15. Both teams tote a 6-1 record.

The Lady Spikers from Alabang did manage to notch a 25-17 25-13 25-21 win over FEU-Diliman to remain in third place at 5-3.

UE is at 4-4 after bowing to Adamson (25-22 25-17 25-15) and keeping UPIS winless (25-11 25-6 and 25-15).

Meanwhile, the Bullpups remained undefeated in the boys' division, after beating FEU-Diliman, 25-21 25-19 21-25 and 25-21.

Chasing them down are the reigning champions UE. The now 6-1 Junior Warriors manhandled UPIS, 25-9 25-13 and 25-13. Behind them are FEU-Diliman at 5-3, who did manage a 25-14 25-17 and 25-19 win over La Salle-Zobel to cancel out the loss to NU.

Season 77 runner-up Ateneo did manage to gain some ground on FEU-Diliman, after beating UST (25-18 18-25 25-20 16-25 and 15-12) and La Salle-Zobel (25-17 26-24 and 25-14). The Blue Eaglets are now tied with the Tiger Cubs in fourth with a 4-4 record.

Recap of September 20 matches in UAAP men's badminton

La Salle posted their second win this season, defeating Adamson, 4-1, in the UAAP men's badminton action at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Kenneth Monterubio kicked off the successful Green Shuttlers' campaign with a 21-13 and 21-19 victory over EJ Viloria in the first singles match. But the Falcon Shuttlers managed to equalize c/o Kevin Fabros, defeating Andrew Pineda, 21-18 and 21-17.

But it was in the doubles that La Salle was able to secure the win, as Gerald Sibayan and Anton Cayanan easily beating Viloria and Elben Concha, 21-15 and 21-16, which was followed by Jerickson Obaob and Cayel Pajarillo dominating over Joshua Antonio and Jeffrey Iquina, 21-6 and 21-14.

Capping the win is EJ Boac's triumph over Gerloth Delizo in the final singles, 21-14 and 21-13.

***

Ateneo bounced back from its opening day defeat with a 5-0 beat down of the University of the East.

Kicking off the sweep is Hanz Bernardo's victory over Andre Donesa in the first set of singles, 21-14 and 21-12, while Clarence Filart doubled things up with a 21-17 and 21-7 triumph over King Espiritu.

The doubles portion saw Bernardo and Carlo Remo clinch the win for the Blue Eagles against Arman Manlalangit and Kenneth Cruz, 21-19 and 21-7, while Fidez Bagasbas and Patrick Gecosala survived the Espiritu siblings, 30-28 and 21-13.

Capping the sweep for the Blue Shuttlers is Jan Mangubat's 21-15 and 21-13 result against Angelo David.

***
Also netting a sweep is UP, handily dismantling FEU.

Jon Masongsong beat Joshua Bernardo, 21-17 and 21-8, while Miggy Leonardo also took care of Josh Maquelabit, 21-16 and 21-14.

In the doubles, Joaquin Deato and CK Clemente teamed up to clinch the win for the Maroons, beating Jade Sarmiento and Vince Lagnada, 21-13 and 21-17. Roberto Pineda and Vinci Manuel managed to replicate that feat with a 21-18 and 21-13 triumph over Maquelabit and Rafael Dionisio.

Finishing the sweep off was a 21-17 and 21-19 decision from Jojo Malelang over Jacob Tercias.

***

Meanwhile, defending champions NU remain undefeated after their 4-1 win over UST.

Kevin Ferrer named as the Player of the Week

In spite of being under the weather, Kevin Ferrer stepped and probably played the game of his life for the University of Santo Tomas this past week, earning a ACCEL Quantum / 3XVI UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week, beating out FEU Tamaraws Mac Belo and Mike Tolomia, as well as Gelo Alolino of the defending champions NU for the honor.

In the Growling Tigers' lone game during the period, the Sinag standout poured a career-high 27 points to complement a 68-58 come-from-behind, comeback victory over Ateneo, allowing them to secure their fourth win in five games.

UST head coach Bong dela Cruz lauded Kevin, "This is Kevin Ferrer. You can’t question his heart. He played sick and he fought whatever he was feeling during the game." He added, "We were flat on defense in the first three quarters. Kevin huddled the team. They responded well."

Ferrer acknowledged that the loss to NU helped them. "We relaxed after we went 3-0. After we lost, we talked to each other to talk about what we did wrong. It helped us for this game."

Dela Cruz admitted that the team is not looking ahead to the Final Four. "It’s still too early. We just want to work hard every practice and every game. We accept whatever is the outcome. We are not a team, we are a family right now."

Gilas Pilipinas set for FIBA-Asia second round

The Philippines is set to kick off its second round campaign this afternoon against Japan in the FIBA-Asia Men's Championships in Changsha.

Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin acknowledged the team's lack of perfection, yet highlights that the team is expected to be able to meet the challenges posed by their respective opposition and go through to the knockout rounds.

Baldwin says, "We came here to make sure we make it to the second round, and we’re in the second round now. We need to do well in the second round to put ourselves in the quarterfinals. It’s all going to be tough games. We’re in a position to play these tough games."

He adds, "If erratic is the form that I was looking for, then we’re pretty well placed right there. But we’ve enough good positive enough to know that we can play well. We have high expectations for the next round and the remaining of the tournament. We got our job cut out for us, for the coaches, fir the players over the next several games. We expect to rise to that challenge."

The Filipinos will be coming in to Group E with a 1-1 record, bouncing back from a shocking 75-73 loss to Palestine with a 101-50 shellacking of Hong Kong. Their 110-64 demolition of Kuwait will not be taken into consideration into the second round, with the Gulf nation being eliminated after the first round of play.

They will play Japan later today at 4:45 pm, then face defending champions Iran tomorrow at 11:45 am. Their final game in the second round will be against India on Tuesday at 2:30 pm.

A top-four finish in Group E guarantees entry in the quarterfinals, wherein they will face a squad from Group F (China, Korea, Jordan, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, and Qatar).

Kiefer Ravena named as the UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week

When the chips are down, the Phenom picks it up.

And Kiefer Ravena showed that he earned that monicker, leading Ateneo to two wins last week to snag the Player of the Week nod from the UAAP Press Corps, beating out Bonbon Batiller and Raymar Jose for the weekly award.

The first win came against National University in dramatic fashion, after the second-generation star converted a game-tying triple with 5.3 seconds in regulation at 57-all, then helped force a second extension with a drive to tie the game at 62. He eventually finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in a hard-fought 74-70 double overtime win.

Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol, who finally managed to snatch his first win against NU in his Ateneo coaching career, admitted that they would not have gotten the victory over the defending champions if not for Kiefer's heroics.

The second win came against a game University of the East, as the Blue Eagles fended off a Warriors comeback in the final period for a 77-72 triumph. He would finish with fifteen points and just one rebound and one assist short of a triple-double.

National University keeps win streak in UAAP women's basketball

UAAP women's basketball standings:

NU 5-0
La Salle 4-1
UST 4-1
Adamson 3-2
UE 2-3
Ateneo 1-4
FEU 1-4
UP 0-5

Scheduled games this Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym:

9am NU vs UP
11am UST vs UE
1pm Adamson vs La Salle
3pm FEU vs Ateneo

The streak is now twenty-one.

National University extended its winning run in UAAP women's basketball on Wednesday, surviving a pesky University of the East, 66-63 in the opening match of the quadruple-header at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Down by twenty with over eight minutes left in the final quarter, the Lady Warriors rode on Cherry Ano-os, Eunique Chan, and Glozelle Bale to cut that lead to as low as one point, which happened twice in the final minute.

After a Shelley Gupilan free throw with 19 seconds remaining made it 65-63 for the defending champions, Bale missed a lead-changing three-pointer with eleven seconds to go.

UE fouled Jack Animam, who split her charities for the final score of the game.

Reigning MVP Afril Bernardino led NU with thirteen points, eleven rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while her fellow national team stalwart Gupilan added twelve markers.

Ano-os and Chan each had 17 points to lead UE.

Chasing the defending champions are both La Salle and UST, both of which eked out close wins to secure their respective fourth wins this season.

The Lady Archers squeaked past Ateneo, 44-43, behind their effective perimeter sniping, particularly from Ana Castillo.

In contrast, the Tigresses rode on a 13-3 run to close out the final five minutes of their 70-67 win over Adamson. Kickstarting the run against the Lady Falcons were Jhenn Angeles and Maica Cortes, with the latter's bucket with 70 seconds left giving the lead back to UST for good, 69-67.

Capping the action in Loyola Heights is Bert Flores' first win as the head coach of FEU with a 46-38 defeat of UP, in a battle of the league's two cellar-dwellers. Precious Arellado's all-around performance of fifteen points, seven rebounds, and five assists led the charge for the Lady Tamaraws over the Lady Maroons.

Games will resume on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym.

NU (66) – Bernardino 13, Gupilan 12, Itesi 9, Animam 9, Nabalan 5, Abriam 4, Sison 4, Del Carmen 4, Antiquera 3, Tongco 2, Riel 1, Paig 0, Miranda 0, Reyes 0, Layug 0, Harada 0.
UE (63) – Ano-os 17, Chan 17, Sto. Domingo 9, Bale 9, Ramos 4, Mendina 3, Tacula 2, Nama 2, Taguiam 0, Francisco 0, Sampaga 0.
Quarterscores: 18-11, 33-19, 50-37, 66-63.

FEU (46) – Arellado 15, Ballecer 12, Ventura 7, Okunlola 5, Castro 2, Abat 2, Mamaril 2, Adriano 1, Quiapo 0, Hortaleza 0, Baldonado 0, Payadon 0, Capua 0.
UP (38) – Tatel 9, Daez 6, Esplana 6, Isip 5, Oliva 5, Medina 4, Rodas 3, Pesquera 0, Ordoveza 0, Franco 0, Eder 0, Lapid 0.
Quarterscores: 8-6, 17-14, 25-26, 46-38.

La Salle (44) – Castillo 11, Claro 8, Dagdagan 6, Penaranda 5, Abaca 4, Vergara 3, Revillosa 3, Ong 2, Roxas 2, Figueroa 0, Gonzales 0, Vela 0.
Ateneo (43) – Jose 14, Yam 9, Javier 5, Buendia 4, Go 3, Aseron 2, Tomita 2, Deacon 2, Guytingco 2, Nitorreda 0, Posadas 0, Payac 0, Moslares 0, Newsome 0.
Quarterscores: 16-10, 27-21, 39-35, 44-43.

UST (70) – Angeles 15, Larosa 14, Cortes 13, Felisarta 8, Penaflor 8, Magdaluyo 5, Anies 5, Jerez 2, Rivera 0, Brillante 0, Isanan 0.
Adamson (67) – Cochico 21, Tacitac 14, Alcoy 9, Osano 8, De Castro 4, Pingol 4, Diaz 2, Lacson 2, Aciro 2, Araja 1, Generoso 0, Ido 0, Tabanao 0, Ramillano, Escalante 0.
Quarters: 17-17, 39-35, 53-50, 70-67.