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MANILA- Magnolia Hotshots blasted Barangay Ginebra, 118-88, in front of 11,212 fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City in the pre-Valentine's Day edition of the "Manila Clasico" on Sunday night. Magnolia banked on its trademark defense in the first half, holding Ginebra to just 37 points while opening a 22-point lead at the half. The Gin Kings found their offensive rhythm in the third quarter, dropping 34 points, but the Hotshots held them to just 17 in the final frame en route to posting the biggest win by any team in the "Clasico" since a 112-78 Ginebra win in 2003. Antonio Hester flirted with a triple-double as he led Magnolia, now 2-4 in the PBA Governors' Cup,with 28 points, going 13-for-19 from the field, 18 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Mark Barroca added 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. Justin Brownlee fired 22 points with seven rebounds, while Christian Standhardinger added 17 points for Ginebra, which suffered its first loss for the conference after a 3-0 start. In the first game, Greg Smith put up impressive stats in his debut as Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters finally scored a win in the season-ending conference through a 122-117 beating of Blackwater. Smith, who replaced Michael Qualls as ROS import, finished with 38 points, six rebounds, five assists, and one steal even as the team broke loose in the fourth quarter, outscoring Blackwater Bossing, 35-22, to steal the come-from-behind win. Santi Santillan added 16 points, seven rebounds, and one assist off the bench, while Nick Demusis scored a career-high 12 points as well as Shaun Ildefonso and Beau Belga for the Elasto Painters (1-4), who left the NorthPort Batang Pier as the only team left still without a win in the Governors' Cup. Troy Williams exploded anew for 40 points with 13 rebounds but he too committed nine turnovers as the Bossing dropped to 1-5.(PNA) }
MANILA - San Miguel scored its second straight win in the PBA Governors' Cup after downing Blackwater, 105-86, on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig. The Beermen broke away from the Bossing in the second quarter, outscoring them, 31-11, to open a 63-35 halftime lead before holding off the latter's last gasp in the second half. Jericho Cruz fired 22 points on 9-of-13 field goals, three rebounds, three assists and one steal off the bench for SMB, which tied TNT and NLEX for second place at 2-0, just behind 3-0 Converge in the team standings. The Tropang Giga and the Road Warriors will face off later Wednesday to break their tie and join the FiberXers in a logjam at the top of the conference table. Cameron Clark added 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one block, while June Mar Fajardo chipped in 17 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one block, and two steals for the Beermen. Shawn Glover made 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal for Blackwater, which fell to 1-2. (PNA) }
MANILA - TNT crawled back from 18 points down and beat Rain Or Shine, 105-100, in their PBA Governors' Cup game at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Friday night. The Tropang Giga blasted off in the second half, dropping 44 points on the Elasto Painters, more than their entire first-half output, in the third quarter before holding them to just 16 points in the fourth quarter to steal the win. Jalen Hudson and Mikey Williams each scored 24 points even as they too had double-doubles with 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively, for TNT, which joined Converge and Meralco at the top of the team standings at 2-0. Williams came close to a triple-double as he also dished out seven assists, while RR Pogoy added 22 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Michael Qualls sizzled for 35 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks but his performance was flushed as ROS dropped to 0-2. In the first game, Blackwater averted a Phoenix comeback in the end for a 108-105 win. The Bossing were in control for most of the first three quarters but had to turn it up a notch late in the fourth to withstand the Fuel Masters' final hurrah. Up 79-69 entering the fourth, Blackwater saw its lead gradually being chipped away by Phoenix until a Tyler Tio putback put the Fuel Masters on top, 98-97, with 1:40 remaining. However, Shawn Glover quickly put the Bossing back ahead, 99-98, in the next play - a stepback baseline jumper with 1:17 left. Jvee Casio then seemingly scored the dagger, a buzzer-beating long two from the right corner for a 101-98 cushion with 43 seconds left. Phoenix still put up a fight behind a triple from Tyler Tio and a layup from Encho Serrano even as Glover kept the door open for the team to force overtime after splitting his free throws with six seconds left. With no timeout left, Tio was forced to dribble the full length of the court for a desperation heave that only hit the rim as time expired. Tio's buzzer-beater attempt was ruled as a long two, so the Fuel Masters could have still lost had it gone in. Glover finished with 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks for Blackwater, which snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to the Commissioner's Cup. Baser Amer added 17 points, one rebound, and two assists, while Ato Ular chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Yousef Taha contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists off the bench in his best game with Blackwater. Du'Vaughn Maxwell led Phoenix, which fell to 0-2, with 37 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and six blocks. The Scores: First Game BLACKWATER: 108 - Glover 31, Amer 17, Ular 14, Taha 10, McCarthy 9, Hill 6, Banal 6, Ayonayon 5, Casio 5, Ilagan 3, DiGregorio 2, Torralba 0, Escoto 0, Suerte 0 PHOENIX: 105 - Maxwell 37, Tio 15, Perkins 13, Alejandro 10, Serrano 9, Soyud 5, Manganti 5, Garcia 5, Jazul 2, Muyang 2, Camacho 2, Go 0 QUARTERS: 25-18, 54-45, 79-69, 108-105 Second Game TNT: 105 - Hudson 24, M.Williams 24, Pogoy 22, K.Williams 13, Chua 8, Castro 7, Tungcab 5, Khobuntin 2, Varilla 0, Montalbo 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0 RAIN OR SHINE: 100 - Qualls 35, Nambatac 17, Torres 13, Asistio 10, Belga 7, Demusis 4, Caracut 3, Norwood 3, Borboran 2, Ildefonso 2, Ponferrada 2, Yap 2, Nieto 0 QUARTERS: 17-20, 36-49, 80-84, 105-100 (PNA) }
MANILA - TNT crawled back from 18 points down to beat Rain Or Shine, 105-100, in the PBA Governors' Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo on Friday night. The Tropang Giga dropped 44 points in the third quarter, or more than their entire first-half output of 36, before holding the Elasto Painters to just 16 points in the fourth quarter. Jalen Hudson and Mikey Williams each scored 24 points to go with 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively, for TNT, which joined Converge and Meralco on top at 2-0. Williams came close to a triple-double as he also dished out seven assists, while RR Pogoy added 22 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Michael Qualls sizzled for 35 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks but his performance went down the drain as ROS dropped to 0-2. In the first game, Blackwater averted a Phoenix end-game comeback for a 108-105 win. The Bossing were in control for most of the first three quarters but had to turn it up a notch late in the fourth to withstand the Fuel Masters' final hurrah. Up 79-69 entering the fourth, Blackwater saw its lead chipped away by Phoenix, with a Tyler Tio putback putting the Fuel Masters on top, 98-97, with 1:40 remaining. However, Shawn Glover quickly put the Bossing back ahead, 99-98, in the next play - a stepback baseline jumper with 1:17 left. Jvee Casio then seemingly scored the dagger, a buzzer-beating long two from the right corner for a 101-98 cushion with 43 seconds left. Phoenix still put up a fight behind a triple from Tio and a layup from Encho Serrano even as Glover kept the door open for the team to force overtime after splitting his free throws with six seconds left. With no timeout left, Tio was forced to dribble the full length of the court for a desperation heave that only hit the rim as time expired. Glover finished with 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks for Blackwater, which snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to the Commissioner's Cup. Baser Amer added 17 points, one rebound, and two assists, while Ato Ular chipped in 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Yousef Taha contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists off the bench in his best game with Blackwater. Du'Vaughn Maxwell produced 37 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and six blocks for Phoenix, which also fell to 0-2. The scores: First Game BLACKWATER 108 - Glover 31, Amer 17, Ular 14, Taha 10, McCarthy 9, Hill 6, Banal 6, Ayonayon 5, Casio 5, Ilagan 3, DiGregorio 2, Torralba 0, Escoto 0, Suerte 0 PHOENIX 105 - Maxwell 37, Tio 15, Perkins 13, Alejandro 10, Serrano 9, Soyud 5, Manganti 5, Garcia 5, Jazul 2, Muyang 2, Camacho 2, Go 0 Quarters: 25-18, 54-45, 79-69, 108-105 Second Game TNT 105 - Hudson 24, M.Williams 24, Pogoy 22, K.Williams 13, Chua 8, Castro 7, Tungcab 5, Khobuntin 2, Varilla 0, Montalbo 0, Ganuelas-Rosser 0 RAIN OR SHINE 100 - Qualls 35, Nambatac 17, Torres 13, Asistio 10, Belga 7, Demusis 4, Caracut 3, Norwood 3, Borboran 2, Ildefonso 2, Ponferrada 2, Yap 2, Nieto 0 Quarters: 17-20, 36-49, 80-84, 105-100 (PNA) }
NEW PSL 21U KINGS. Pampanga Delta players bask in the limelight during a photo opportunity after ruling the PSL 21U Battle of Champions on Monday night (Sept. 5, 2022). Pampanga defeated Consolacion, 76-71. (Photo courtesy of PSL) MANILA - Pampanga reigned supreme in the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) 21U after beating Consolacion, 76-71, in the final of the "Battle of Champions" on Monday night at the Cebu City Sports Institute. Despite some sort of a homecourt disadvantage against their Cebuano opponents, the Delta showed their might especially down the stretch to edge the Sarok Weavers. The Delta stole the thunder from the Sarok Weavers in the final 2:02 of the game as Justin Bautista led the former's game-turning 7-0 run to take the lead for good. Bautista completed a three-point play and made the dagger layup to give Pampanga a 75-69 lead with 1:06 to play in the game. Matthew Flores made a jumper in Consolacion's next play, but it turned out to be the Cebuano squad's last gasp. Bautista finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals for Pampanga en route to winning the Most Valuable Player award for the national finals, which also saw Davao Occidental in action. Miclat and Kevin Santos each added 12 points with Santos also grabbing 13 rebounds for the double-double. This is the third championship of the Governor Delta Pineda-owned squad in a regional league this year as its professional team and 18-and-under team also won titles in the National Basketball League last June. Froiland Maglasang tallied 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Rovello Robles added 12 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, and two steals for Consolacion, which failed to complete a 4-0 sweep of the tournament as Pampanga avenged its 57-63 loss on Saturday night in the round-robin phase. (PNA) }
MANILA - Jayson Castro called game for TNT Tropang Giga as the team began the PBA Philippine Cup Finals with an 86-84 win against San Miguel Beermen on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. In front of 8,548 fans, which included returning Gilas Pilipinas player Jordan Clarkson, Castro broke the Beermen's hearts right at the final horn when he scored a two-dribble pull-up against Simon Enciso to give the Tropang Giga the win. Castro's clutch jumper made up for Poy Erram's foul that led to Vic Manuel's three-point play that tied the game at 84-all with 53 seconds left. RR Pogoy led TNT with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting including 4-of-6 on threes, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. June Mar Fajardo, the current stats leader for the Best Player of the Conference, led Beermen with 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting, 16 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks, while CJ Perez added 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. (PNA) }
MANILA - TNT Tropang Giga moved to within a win from making a comeback to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals after downing Magnolia Hotshots, 102-84, in Game 4 of their semifinal series on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. With the win, the Tropang Giga now holds a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Hotshots, the same situation in their Philippine Cup Finals clash last year in Bacolor, Pampanga. TNT pulled away from Magnolia in the second half, holding the Purefoods franchise to just 16 third quarter points before erupting for 32 in the final frame. Poy Erram led the Tropang Giga, who can close out the series on Friday, with 19 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, and one block off the bench. RR Pogoy added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Ian Sangalang made 19 markers, three rebounds, and one steal for the Hotshots. In the first game, Meralco Bolts used a blistering start and was able to sustain it until the end to trip the San Miguel Beermen, 111-97 in Game 4 of their own series. Meralco erupted for 36 points in the first quarter, resetting the league conference-high for a single quarter which the team made in Game 2, as it looked to bludgeon SMB early on. The Beermen, however, recovered in the second quarter and came to within one, 48-49, with 1:49 left before halftime. The Bolts got their bearing back to end the second period and eventually pulled away for good in the second half, even stretching their lead to as high as 22 early in the fourth quarter. Aaron Black made 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and one steal for Meralco, which tied their series again at 2-2. Allein Maliksi added 19 points, four rebounds, and one assist. (PNA) }
MANILA - Jayson Castro won it for TNT Tropang Giga as he hit a three-pointer in the dying moments to give his team a 93-92 win over Magnolia Hotshots in Game 3 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. In a game that saw Mikey Williams getting limited to just 15 points, Castro provided the clutch help for the Tropang Giga, burying a contested three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left to steal the win from the Hotshots. Magnolia thought they had it when Mark Barroca broke a 90-all deadlock with a tough layup with 9.8 seconds and TNT already out of timeouts. However, Castro showed heart in the end, running the full length of the court and quickly shooting a pull-up trey that swished in to the delight of the Tropang Giga fans. With the Hotshots also out of timeouts, Paul Lee settled for a half court heave that only hit the backboard as the clock hit zeroes. Poy Erram led TNT, now 2-1 up against Magnolia in the best-of-seven series, with 22 points, eight rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and three steals. Castro added 16 points, two rebounds, and six assists off the bench. Calvin Abueva led Magnolia with 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists, but he sat out the final 4:29 of the game as he incurred his sixth foul during that time. In the nightcap, San Miguel Beermen maintained its composure against a gritty Meralco Bolts squad to take a 96-91 win. Both teams engaged in a tight encounter with the largest just at 10 points by the Beermen early in the fourth quarter. However, behind a stellar showing from CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo, SMB remained in control for most of the match and quickly repulsed any huge rally from Meralco until the end. Perez finished with 26 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Fajardo added 21 points, 16 rebounds, and two blocks for the Beermen. (PNA) }
MANILA -- TNT showed its championship pedigree on Magnolia with a 108-96 win at the start of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Led by another explosive game from Mikey Williams, the Tropang Giga quickly deposed the Hotshots from start to finish to draw first blood in their best-of-seven series, although the PLDT franchise had to repulse a fourth-quarter threat from the Purefoods squad. Williams finished with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while RR Pogoy added 23 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. Calvin Abueva put up 18 points, eight rebounds, and one assist, while Jio Jalalon, Ian Sangalang, and Aris Dionisio each added 14 markers for Magnolia even as Dionisio also tallied 13 boards for the double-double. (PNA) }
MANILA - The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards denied the All-Star Bacolod Ballers a giant slaying to begin their two-game home stand as the former prevailed, 81-74, in a Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League triple-overtime thriller that ended just past midnight on Tuesday at the University of St. La Salle Gym in Bacolod City. Despite a solid defensive performance, Bacolod failed to close out Nueva Ecija, and the latter got its offensive game in the overtime sessions to take the road win. Entering the game averaging a league best 94.3 points, Nueva Ecija, playing without suspended coach Jerson Cabiltes, was held to just 49 points with 31.1 seconds left in regulation as Bacolod was on track of scoring a huge upset to the delight of its sold-out crowd. However, Alwyn Alday clipped Byron Villarias while taking a three-pointer, and the latter made all his three free throws to force the first overtime session. In the first overtime, the Rice Vanguards appeared to be pulling away after answering Edrian Lao's opening basket with five straight points to open a 57-54 lead with 1:11 left. However, Mark Yee scored a huge three-pointer to extend the game further to a second overtime. Yee then appeared to have closed out the game for the home team with a shot clock buzzer-beating triple from way out for a 66-62 count with 1:20 remaining. However, Jay Collado responded with a quick layup and Yee failed to completely seal the Ballers' win with a split from the line, leading to a Villarias three-pointer that sent the game to triple overtime. Bacolod eventually fizzled in the third extension as Nueva Ecija finally sealed the away win with a 10-2 run in the final 2:23. Villarias led the Vanguards, who moved up to 9-0 in the standings, with 24 points on five triples, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. Collado added 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals. In the first game, Zamboanga once again showed resiliency in overtime, edging Valenzuela, 86-82, to remain unbeaten. Zamboanga showed its might for almost the entire overtime period to hold off a gritty Valenzuela squad poised to go for an upset. Jaycee Marcelino fired 26 points alongside six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block for the now 7-0 Zamboanga squad. Jeff Comia added 12 points, one rebound, five assists, three steals, and two blocks, while Jayvee Marcelino chipped in 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Ronjay Buenafe had 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one block, while Jaymar Gimpayan had a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds with one assist for Valenzuela, which fell to 4-6. (PNA) }