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.