Pinoy Buzz: basketball

ABL: Alab Pilipinas survives Mono Vampire Thailand to extend its winning streak to 6

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel Alab Pilipinas relied on its super imports heroic acts to survive Mono Vampire Thailand, 86-84 at the Star Arena in Baliuag Bulacan on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbA9ihnJgYIpTE4CqyCLv32Mbt2RaHaESAq_ZjpXo54vXIePIONdJ-UVuUj5J2kcMiqqTStj3MdD-8tVQbgK8UytTeStKsoQxHfaIV3dQ8BfVoJbhb58d8pFcZvmA3D2Kml-_UK6JFvkp/s1600/Balkman_Alab.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Alab Pilipinas survives Mono Vampire Thailand to extend its winning streak to 6" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbA9ihnJgYIpTE4CqyCLv32Mbt2RaHaESAq_ZjpXo54vXIePIONdJ-UVuUj5J2kcMiqqTStj3MdD-8tVQbgK8UytTeStKsoQxHfaIV3dQ8BfVoJbhb58d8pFcZvmA3D2Kml-_UK6JFvkp/s1600/Balkman_Alab.jpg" title="Alab Pilipinas survives Mono Vampire Thailand to extend its winning streak to 6" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Renaldo Balkman’s late drive saved Alab Pilipinas from the scary Mono Vampire Thailand | Photo Courtesy: Asean Basketball League</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The last time that these 2 teams met, Alab Pilipinas humiliated Mono Vampire in Thailand. Tonight, Philippines aimed to replicate its victory in front of its home court and continue its winning streak.<br /><br />Sam Deguara’s gigantic presence in the middle became an early problem for Alab as the Thais posted their early lead of 10-2. Coach Jimmy Alapag had enough and called a timeout.<br /><br />Alab bounced back from a sloppy start after the untimely ceasefire spearheaded by Justin Brownlee and Josh Urbiztondo who both ignited the crowd with their three pointers and snatched the lead away from Mono Vampire.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />San Miguel Alab Pilipinas held onto its 22-18 thin advantage until the end of the opening period.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee lighted it all up in the beginning of the 2nd period as the country’s most popular import unleashed more treys and blocked shots on the other end. Alab hit the double-digit lead, 33-20 with over 6 minutes left in the quarter.<br /><br />In just less than a minute, Alab’s lead was brought down to just 6 as Sam Deguara re-entered the floor and owned the shaded lead.<br /><br />Aside from Deguara’s dominance underneath the basket, misses and turnovers started to pile up for Alab Pilipinas that gave an opportunity for Mono Vampire to tie the game at 38-all with 1:22 left in the half.<br /><br />Filipino-American Jason Brickman ended the 1st half with a floater and for the lead. 40-38 in favor of Mono Vampire Thailand.<br /><br />The Filipinos started the 3rd quarter with an 8-0 scoring blitz courtesy of super imports Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman. The run was also followed-up by a Bobby Parks Jr. to Lawrence Domingo alley-oop play that made the crowd jump off their seats.<br /><br />Thailand’s titan, Sam Deguara, committed his 3rd foul of the game and was taken out immediately to preserve his remaining personals in the final canto. But his partner, ex-PBA import, Mike Singletary took over the scoring chores for Mono Vampire and managed to trim the Alab lead to just 1, 60-59 with 2:38 remaining.<br /><br />Former Ateneo Eagle, Oping Sumalinog closed the penultimate quarter with a long bomb for an 8-point, 68-60 Alab Pilipinas lead.<br /><br />Both squads were too quiet as they unfolded the final chapter of the game. While everyone was quiet, Mono Vampire’s heritage import and Filipino Paul Zamar took the chance to showcase his talents and helped his team cut the lead.<br /><br />Thailand totally snapped Alab’s lead at the 5:34 mark. Coach Alapag pushed the panic button and burned another timeout.<br /><br />Just as badly needed, Justin Brownlee launched another outside bomb and a steal to swing the lead back to Alab’s side.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee found the wide-opened Josh Urbiztondo on the right corner for a sure triple and 3-point advantage with less than a minute left. Right after Urbiztondo’s big shot, Mike SIngletary hit a trey of his of own for the equalizer.<br /><br />Alab had 19.2 to make the last shot. Justin Brownlee took the ball and intended to melt the clock. With 4 ticks left in the clock, Brownlee found the cutting Renaldo Balkman in the center and the Puerto Rican made the shot for the lead 86-84.<br /><br />Mike Singletary attempted a jumpshot to send the game into an overtime but he was clearly denied by Justin Brownlee and Mono Vampire Thailand officially bowed down to San Miguel Alab Pilipinas for the 2nd time.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas improved its record to 9-4 while Mono Vampire Thailand fell to 9-5 in the league standings.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas survives Mono Vampire Thailand to extend its winning streak to 6

MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel Alab Pilipinas relied on its super imports heroic acts to survive Mono Vampire Thailand, 86-84 at the Star ...

ABL: Alab Pilipinas crushes Mono Vampire Thailand

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Tanduay Alab Pilipinas bounced back big time after a sorry loss against Singapore Slingers few of days ago as the Filipinos torched the Mono Vampire Basketball Club, 114-87 in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) on Sunday, January 14, 2018 in Bangkok City Thailand.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyYkOym3btpNNOT8zyVxcgIquMsUNGEz7WcdiGEN5zou09QEpWwWjpsWjxTtTdVELP8EGI1PZFA2HbbdmkmcbRDa8ImzQRNsMrSTss3jXWUnjL2LyXomlhyphenhyphenLyIPWrqbb2C8HraArDayJl/s1600/Justin-Brownlee-Abl.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Alab Pilipinas crushes Mono Vampire Thailand" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="635" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyYkOym3btpNNOT8zyVxcgIquMsUNGEz7WcdiGEN5zou09QEpWwWjpsWjxTtTdVELP8EGI1PZFA2HbbdmkmcbRDa8ImzQRNsMrSTss3jXWUnjL2LyXomlhyphenhyphenLyIPWrqbb2C8HraArDayJl/s1600/Justin-Brownlee-Abl.jpg" title="Alab Pilipinas crushes Mono Vampire Thailand" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin Brownlee exploded for 29 points to lead Alab Pilipinas in a win against Mono Vampire Thailand. Photo Credit: Asean Basketball League</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mono Vampire is not an easy task for Alab to accomplish, as the Thai Basketball team has Samuel Deguara, a 7’4” center who can make life harder for Filipino cagers especially under the basket.<br /><br />With Deguara on Mono Vampire, Coach Jimmy Alapag had to tweak his starters to match the height advantage of the Thai Team. <br /><br />Coach Alapag tapped the seldomly used Rico Maierhofer to man the middle. Maierhofer savored the rare opportunity that his coach game him and paid him back with 5 points and a block on Deguara. Alab had the advantage early on with a 20-11 scoring run.<br /><br />Mono Vampire caught-up with Alab led by former UE Red Warrior Paul Zamar and Fil-Am Jason Brickman who became a real threat on both offensive and defensive sides that worried Coach Alapag.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Despite the Thai-run, Philippines managed to get back and ended the opening period with a 10-point, 32-22 lead.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee and Josh Urbiztondo bumped-up the lead to 16 as Alab started the 2nd quarter but Ex-Barako Bull import Mike Singletary retaliated to cut the numbers down.<br /><br />Thailand may have a giant on the floor all the time, but surprisingly, Philippines outrebounded Mono Vampire and converted them into second-chance points to blow the lead to its largest at 18 before the 2nd quarter expired.<br /><br />Tanduay Alab Pilipinas held on to its lead, 54-37 after the first 20 minutes of the ballgame.<br /><br />Thailand was firing back at Philippines come 3rd quarter. The only problem was: the locals were not contributing. In contrast, Tanduay Alab’s guards, Josh Urbiztondo and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. were in full blast in supporting the tenacity of Renaldo Balkman and Justin Brownlee.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee was too quiet in the 1st half. But he got back on his feet and dropped significant digits in the third to help Alab posted a 20-point lead.<br /><br />Bobby Ray Parks Jr. also tallied his 19th point of the game from the outside with 3 more minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. With that trey, Parks Jr. surpassed his 16th-point game performance versus Slingers.<br /><br />Outstanding penultimate quarter for Philippines as the nationals escalated their lead, 88-62.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee was simply unstoppable in the 2nd half. Brownlee turned into a scoring machine who got his points from both the inside and the outside to help Philippines reached the century mark.<br /><br />With 4 minutes remaining in the game, Alab’s advantage had ballooned to 32 points. Coach Jimmy Alapag opted to rest his gunners and sent his 3rd unit in to finish the game.<br /><br />PBA Veteran Dondon Hontiveros led the crew as Alab closed out the game, 114-87 and posted Philippines’ 4th win together with 4 losses.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas will face CLS Knights next on January 20.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas crushes Mono Vampire Thailand

MANILA, Philippines - Tanduay Alab Pilipinas bounced back big time after a sorry loss against Singapore Slingers few of days ago as the Fili...

ABL: Alab Pilipinas’ winning streak is over, falls to Singapore Slingers at home

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Tanduay Alab Pilipinas failed to defend the house as the visiting Singapore Slingers defeated the nationals, 90-80, in the ASEAN Baketball League (ABL) on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at the San Juan Flying V Arena.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12uaMYsrjzM8InWBnBCkwboZMLt0T2_WhyXpqVy4qlZn2Q0iZHPrWRizUid6vwXlz6zrXFX2gRcAaKDDn3hyW0762_sPw_5E0cmji2JvAELzFPZphfyrvqjqVo7mfFdmYTbfvlvqbdtEa/s1600/Chris+Alexander.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Xavier “X-Man” Alexander led Singapore Slingers in win over Alab Pilipinas" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="1126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12uaMYsrjzM8InWBnBCkwboZMLt0T2_WhyXpqVy4qlZn2Q0iZHPrWRizUid6vwXlz6zrXFX2gRcAaKDDn3hyW0762_sPw_5E0cmji2JvAELzFPZphfyrvqjqVo7mfFdmYTbfvlvqbdtEa/s1600/Chris+Alexander.jpg" title="Xavier “X-Man” Alexander led Singapore Slingers in win over Alab Pilipinas" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier “X-Man” Alexander led Singapore Slingers in win over Alab Pilipinas to and Filipinos’ 3-game winning streak. Photo Credit: Asean Basketball League</td></tr></tbody></table><br />For the 2nd time in less than a week, the Tanduay Alab Pilipinas faced Singapore Slingers in its home turf and welcomed the latter with an immaculate defensive stops and offensive assault.<br /><br />Slinger and big man Chris Charles got into foul trouble too early and gave opportunities for Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Justin Brownlee to relentlessly attack the basket to take a 10-2 lead.<br /><br />Just like Chris Charles, Alab players Justin Brownlee and Robi Celis committed 2 personal fouls each. Brownlee however, continued to play but limited himself on the defensive end to avoid getting another foul that resulted to an 8-0 Slinger-run and for the deadlock.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Renaldo Balkman hit a trey together with 2 back-to-back blocks to break the tie and led Alab in its own scoring run. Philippines recovered and ended the 1st quarter with a 19-12 lead.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas slowed down from scoring at the start of the 2nd quarter. The Slingers on the other hand, erupted spearheaded by Fil-Canadian AJ Mandani and snatched the lead from Alab, 26-21. Coach Jimmy Alapag promptly called a halt to make some adjustment in the defense department.<br /><br />Right after the timeout, Josh Urbiztondo responded with a ringless triple followed by a floater from Renaldo Balkman to level the game. Balkman was the first Alab player who got into double-figures with over 6 minutes remaining in the half.<br /><br />AJ Mandani and Xavier Alexander became real problems for Coach Alapag. Mandani owned the rainbow country while his import dominated the shaded lane to end the 1st half, 42-28 in favor of Singapore Slingers.<br /><br />Good 2nd half start for Alab Pilipinas as the nationals grabbed the lead from the Slingers. Philippines’ lead was just momentarily as Singapore, courtesy of Fil-Canadian AJ Manday fired another long bomb and regained the advantage.<br /><br />Both squads traded baskets in the closing phase of the third. However, it was Singapore which had the lead. Justin Brownlee’s presence was missing in the 3rd quarter. Brownlee only tallied 6 points in the said quarter.<br /><br />Seldomly used Rico Meierhoffer exerted some valuable efforts to save Alab in the 3rd period. The veteran center provided 6 points in 2 minutes and grabbed a handful of crucial boards to level the score at 64-all at the end of the penultimate quarter.<br /><br />Singapore blitzed a 6-0 run as the final quarter was unfolded. Philippines was slowly feeling the hefty presence of 7-footer Chris Charles in the middle as the American import clogged it to prevent the Filipinos from driving through.<br /><br />AJ Mandani continued to sizzle hot from the outside and helped his team posted their biggest lead of 9, 75-66 with 5:43 remaining in the ballgame.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas got double-whammied as Coach Jimmy Alapag was whistled for a technical foul for continuous complaining. Coach Alapag lamented for 2 non-crucial calls on Xavier Alexander as the Slinger committed a travelling infraction and made a basket after it even though the clock had expired. Both violations were uncalled that prompted the crowd to yell “Luto, luto.”<br /><br />AJ Mandani placed the nail on the coffin with another triple for the dozen lead, 88-76. Slingers held on to the lead right until the final horn sounded and will go home victorious, 90-80.<br /><br />Tanduay Alab Pilipinas will travel to Bangkok Thailand to face Mono Vampires on Sunday, January 14.<br /><br /><b>— The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas’ winning streak is over, falls to Singapore Slingers at home

MANILA, Philippines - Tanduay Alab Pilipinas failed to defend the house as the visiting Singapore Slingers defeated the nationals, 90-80, in...

LiAngelo Ball to play in the Philippines?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos might see one of the Ball brothers play live in action this year if plans don’t go accordingly for the most-hyped and young Ballers as local basketball agent Ms. Sheryl Reyes expressed her intent to bring Liangelo Ball in the country.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv_dtwlFNu4Au4_FfoaKeySh9vaJ9Is_NIv04ysJrTHQh25Kc8FHUcImlRtkO8LcLG7vygf7p7_s6qcDeIWyptQipE9zKJqwwCktzqF89o9S8oKkNItH9VkJPCP9pmY1A18bf2lTi8Y8K/s1600/liangelo-ball-brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="LiAngelo Ball to play in the Philippines?" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv_dtwlFNu4Au4_FfoaKeySh9vaJ9Is_NIv04ysJrTHQh25Kc8FHUcImlRtkO8LcLG7vygf7p7_s6qcDeIWyptQipE9zKJqwwCktzqF89o9S8oKkNItH9VkJPCP9pmY1A18bf2lTi8Y8K/s1600/liangelo-ball-brothers.jpg" title="LiAngelo Ball to play in the Philippines?" /></a></div><br />Ms. Sheryl Reyes, one of the agents in the country who have the best pool of local and international players under her name, has just recently flown long-time <a href="http://pinoybuzz.blogkorner.com/2018/01/brownlee-and-balkman-to-reinforce-alab-pilipinas.html" rel="nofollow">Ginebra import, Justin Brownlee and NBA veteran Renaldo Balkman</a> to Manila to play for Tanduay Alab Pilipinas in the ABL.<br /><br />The lady agent is not done yet in surprising the Filipino basketball fans as she posted her conversation with Ball Brothers’ agent, Harrison Gaines on her Facebook account inquiring about the availability of LiAngelo Ball.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqUxYtfCG3kVatwtBmMqCxxcQY6eWv5R3ycw8bYSZa5QjjUwtyy_XNpmeSSrWt-HdImwTPOopkdU9kCcK3vJhGoN58xpyE_zNHDVppUimPhfYBhpKSmaZNSdkavx00bP-31rZ6VFPuLtc/s1600/Sheryl_Gaines_Convo.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="LiAngelo Ball to play Philippines" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="591" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqUxYtfCG3kVatwtBmMqCxxcQY6eWv5R3ycw8bYSZa5QjjUwtyy_XNpmeSSrWt-HdImwTPOopkdU9kCcK3vJhGoN58xpyE_zNHDVppUimPhfYBhpKSmaZNSdkavx00bP-31rZ6VFPuLtc/s1600/Sheryl_Gaines_Convo.jpg" title="LiAngelo Ball to play Philippines" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Sheryl Sanchez Reyes Facebook Account</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the chat window, Harrison Gaines informed Ms. Sheryl Reyes that Liangelo Ball will not be available until mid this year as Gelo Ball is currently in contract with Vytautas Basketball Club in Lithuania together with his younger brother, LaMelo Ball.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Come June this year, the middle Ball will still not be available as he prepares for the 2018 NBA Rookie Draft and will also suit-up for the NBA Summer League a month after.<br /><br />Reyes informed Gaines to give her a heads-up if Gelo Ball will not be going anywhere after the draft and summer league and if they want to try out the Philippine basketball market either for a PBA team or Alab Pilipinas in the ABL.<br /><br />The Ball Brothers became instant online sensations because of their father Lavar Ball who aside from establishing the sneaker company Big Baller Brand criticised various NBA personalities on Social Media as well as exchanges of twitter jabs against US President Donald Trump with regards to Gelo Ball’s theft case in China.<br /><br />The elder Ball, also made the headlines late last year as he pulled out LiAngelo Ball from UCLA and LaMelo Ball from Chino Hills High to hone their basketball skills more abroad. Lavar’s eldest son, Lonzo Ball is currently playing for the LA Lakers and an ambassador of Big Baller Brand.<br /><br />Whether most hoop junkies hate the Ball family or not, LiAngelo Ball’s presence will definitely add huge media mileage to any team or any league that he will be playing on especially here in the Philippines where basketball is a major sports.<br /><br />If Gelo Ball’s stint in PBA or ABL happens, Philippines will also be in the headlines of well-known sports websites and newspapers all around globe. <br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

LiAngelo Ball to play in the Philippines?

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos might see one of the Ball brothers play live in action this year if plans don’t go accordingly for the most-...

ABL: Alab Pilipinas burns Slingers, extends winning streak to 3

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Slowly but surely, Tanduay Alab Pilipinas is climbing up the standings as they humiliated Singapore Slingers in their home turf, 89-80, on Sunday, January 7, 2018 at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPibpBHj-RwjRIB7I5JIIHVVWzHAHZ-zwNbRwL2oLrjKeOtEf57DhrHbYKO3eTaESD0ZJV0T0X9r9b85KLIFzy1VZpYddEXwv7SDzbbmG3sjJmp1j59swB1PnB2sfhA7SXRbl6gzAYyVaf/s1600/brownlee_balkman_super_duo.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Alab Pilipinas burns Slingers, extends winning streak to 3" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPibpBHj-RwjRIB7I5JIIHVVWzHAHZ-zwNbRwL2oLrjKeOtEf57DhrHbYKO3eTaESD0ZJV0T0X9r9b85KLIFzy1VZpYddEXwv7SDzbbmG3sjJmp1j59swB1PnB2sfhA7SXRbl6gzAYyVaf/s1600/brownlee_balkman_super_duo.jpg" title="Alab Pilipinas burns Slingers, extends winning streak to 3" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dynamic Duo. Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman stepped-up in the O.T. to continue Alab Pilipinas’ winning streak. Photo Credit: CNN Philippines</td></tr></tbody></table><br />For the 2nd time in-a-row, Alab’s new import and NBA veteran Renaldo Balkman opened the scoreboard in favor of the Philippines. The Puerto Rican uncovered the book with 7 quick points while his partner, Justin brownlee, took care of the defense department at the same time.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee joined the scoring party with a long trey and Lawrence Domingo made a well-challenged basket underneath to escalate Alab’s lead to 8. So far, all imports had scored within 7 minutes of the opening quarter.<br /><br />Hanbin Ng on the other end of the floor, started to wax hot from the three point territory together with Singapore world import Xavier Alexander to cut the lead down to 5. Slingers’ heritage import and Fil-Aam AJ Mandani checked in and promptly fired from the outside to downsized Alab’s lead to just 2.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />After the first 10 minutes of the game, Philippines led Singapore by 4, 21-17.<br /><br />Singapore Slingers new import, Chris Charles,got into foul trouble too early at the start of the third as he committed his 3rd personal foul against Renaldo Balkman. <br /><br />Alab hit its 1st double-digit lead midway of the 2nd period, 31-21 but Hanbin Ng spoiled Philippines’ celebration with another long long bomb followed by easy baskets from Chris Charles and Xavier Alexander.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas could’ve brought the lead back to double-figures again before the first half ended but the Filipino cagers and the imports struggled on the free throw line for multiple occasions and had defensive lapses that paved way for Singapore Slingers to level the game 36-all after 2 exciting quarters.<br /><br />Philippines started the third quarter sloppily as the team committed 3 successive turnovers which Singapore converted into 6 instant points to grab the lead for the first time in the game. Chris Charles who was a sleeper in the first half abruptly exploded offensively and gave Singapore a 10-point lead.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas’ intensity and hussle late in the penultimate quarter changed the tides and switched the scoring momentum to the Philippine side as the nationals overcame the double-digit advantage of Singapore and took the lead back, 55-54 with 2:30 remaining in the clock.<br /><br />Bobby ray Parks Jr. and Lawrence Domingo exerted huge efforts with the aid of Justin Brownlee as they wrapped up the third with a three-point 63-60 lead.<br /><br />The final quarter was unfolded with both squads trading baskets and got the crowd going crazy by giving the fans a terrific ball game. Multiple goal tendings had been called by the game officials that proved game’s intensity.<br /><br />At the 2-minute warning, Singapore tied the game at 75 and Coach Jimmy Alapag had no other options but to call a timeout and layout a better game plan that will favor Alab Pilipinas. <br /><br />After the timeout, the play was obviously designed for Justin Brownlee to take the shot. Brownlee got a good look and drove to the basket but missed. Fortunately, Robi Celis drained a cold-blooded trey after the miss and Alab once again led Slingers by 3 with 50 ticks left.<br /><br />Renaldo Balkman did a fantastic job in guarding the shaded lane and prohibited Singapore from closing in right after Alab took the lead. But, AJ Mandani hit a timely three pointer to tie the game once again at 78 and sent the game into overtime.<br /><br />Justin Brownlee took charge in the overtime as he scored back-to-back baskets and a perfect dish to Renaldo Balkman for a 6-point lead. Bobby Ray Parks Jr. added 3 more to to make it a 3-possession Alab ball-game.<br /><br />Singapore had its chances to close in but turnovers hit the Slingers so bad and ended the game in favor of Tanduay Alab Pilipinas 89-80. With the win, Alab has atoned its loss against the same team late last year and will set another faceoff against Slingers for the third time on January 10.<br /><br />Philippines improved its record to 3-3 and won 3 straight games, 2 with Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman on board.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas burns Slingers, extends winning streak to 3

MANILA, Philippines - Slowly but surely, Tanduay Alab Pilipinas is climbing up the standings as they humiliated Singapore Slingers in their ...

FIBA: Chot Reyes bares his ultimate Gilas Pilipinas dream team

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines -  Gilas Pilipinas Head Coach Chot Reyes is obviously ecstatic for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which will be hosted in our homeland together with co-hosts Japan and Indonesia. Coach Reyes can’t contain his excitement as he revealed his future roster on Friday morning, January 5, 2017.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWA5uV0JzsCOeagKCrm3JK6QUSqVfpE9XvPapLzKs5e-X2-j9HZzQiv9j3er1qo_QfaxrOS4OecECmusy_m2SL7ANvaNZEEgfoJe3l8FBpwsIEIBg2vWtOmuG3pS_Ixy2kI_U8so8SR4CN/s1600/gilas-pilipinas-players-2023.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FIBA: Chot Reyes bares his ultimate Gilas Pilipinas dream team" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="1131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWA5uV0JzsCOeagKCrm3JK6QUSqVfpE9XvPapLzKs5e-X2-j9HZzQiv9j3er1qo_QfaxrOS4OecECmusy_m2SL7ANvaNZEEgfoJe3l8FBpwsIEIBg2vWtOmuG3pS_Ixy2kI_U8so8SR4CN/s1600/gilas-pilipinas-players-2023.JPG" title="FIBA: Chot Reyes bares his ultimate Gilas Pilipinas dream team" /></a></div><br />In his tweet, the long-time Filipino basketball mentor publicly shared a long list of local and Fil-foreign players bannered by UAAP, NCAA PH and NCAA US young guns. Among the standouts are future twin towers and seven-footers Kai Sotto and Fil-Nigerian AJ Edu.<br /><br />Last year’s collegiate finals protagonists Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto, Isaac Go, Abu Tratter, Robert Bolick, CJ Perez, JV Mocon, also made Coach Chot’s wishlist together with other superstars Juan Gomez De Liano, Paul Desiderio, Rodolfo Alejandro III, Kenneth Tuffin, Jeo Ambohot, Josh Sinclair, Arvin Tolentino, Carl Tamayo, Ken Carino, and Will Gozum.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />High-leaping wingman Kobe Paras from Cal State Northridge along with Fil-Ams Remy Martin from Arizona State University and Wake Forest University’s Troy Rike complete Coach Reyes’ 23-man roster for the 2023 World Cup.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4rwsIhI9X-b_75tId1Oz7aZKbl8ujD3FWUtohM98k_lxnGiK0uKr_soc4TdcEurCiW1bL7LO7ejT3hIiEEIl3qSvBEOQo2z2XrrN8AjwRm1pqAKDsTt-Z5q2OtR_Nu_1bgy2xXn33mAL/s1600/Gilas+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="FIBA 2023 Gilas Pilipinas line up" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4rwsIhI9X-b_75tId1Oz7aZKbl8ujD3FWUtohM98k_lxnGiK0uKr_soc4TdcEurCiW1bL7LO7ejT3hIiEEIl3qSvBEOQo2z2XrrN8AjwRm1pqAKDsTt-Z5q2OtR_Nu_1bgy2xXn33mAL/s1600/Gilas+23.jpg" title="FIBA 2023 Gilas Pilipinas line up" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Coach Chot Reyes Twitter Account</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Coach Chot expressed his intention to recruit youthful and promising cagers since he took over the helm of the national team program from Coach Tab Baldwin to prepare for the future international tournaments.<br /><br />Reyes is also eyeing for a young reinforcement in preparation for the departure of Andray Blatche whose contract with Gilas Pilipinas is expiring very soon. 7-foot Isaiah Austin who backed-up Chooks To Go Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA Asia Champions Cup last year is being considered by Chot Reyes and SBP to replace NBA veteran and naturalized-Filipino Andray Blatche. But, as per Coach Reyes, nothing is final as of the moment.<br /><br />With this potential line-up, Philippines is having a good chance to regain its basketball supremacy in Asia and hopefully, in global scene.<br /><br />Laban Pilipinas! PUSO!<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

FIBA: Chot Reyes bares his ultimate Gilas Pilipinas dream team

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas Head Coach Chot Reyes is obviously ecstatic for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup which will be host...

ABL: Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Almost but not quite. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas had a chance to score its first win of the season but fell short in the hands of Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger and the rest of Hong Kong Eastern Basketball team on Wednesday, December 13 at Changhua Stadium in Hong Kong.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhOGcaCxdoL3llppRcLB1SP4eFKBgQ_ANM2q5g2D2Y0_l_7-9F4RpJnOv6aEWp91_4qma0-6v24Bo7OT81fWIszeXJfk-9HEqaSKDB-5iC12-HIBvxSZiWtIEWAzJQOaTXDw1ZmryPP_h/s1600/Christian+Standhardinger+ABL.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhOGcaCxdoL3llppRcLB1SP4eFKBgQ_ANM2q5g2D2Y0_l_7-9F4RpJnOv6aEWp91_4qma0-6v24Bo7OT81fWIszeXJfk-9HEqaSKDB-5iC12-HIBvxSZiWtIEWAzJQOaTXDw1ZmryPP_h/s1600/Christian+Standhardinger+ABL.jpg" title="Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fil-German Christian Standhardinger posted double-double in a win against Tanduay Alab Pilipinas. Photo Credit: ASEAN Basketball League</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hong Kong Eastern Basketball is currently enjoying the top spot of the standing with a perfect slate of 4-0 record while Tanduay Alab Pilipinas is hurting with 2 consecutive losses against Hong Kong in the opener and to Singapore just a week ago.<br /><br />After 2 games, Alab Pilipinas had a perfect start with an 8-0 run led by Bobby Ray Parks and import Reggie Okosa with the support of another local, Roby Celis. <br /><br />The game was too intense right from the start. Alab’s second import, Ivan Johnson was whistled for a Technical Foul after inadvertently hitting Ryan Moss in the head while jockeying for position while guard Josh Urbiztondo was also called for a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct.<br /><br />Hong Kong’s Asian import, Tyler Lamb, initiated the comeback as the Thai-American unleashed treys and put his team behind by just 1. 11-10 at the 3:10 mark of the 1st quarter.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Tyler Lamb and Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger combined efforts to level up the score as the 1st period clock died down but it was Alab’s Ivan Johnson who closed the quarter with a buzzer-beater three pointer. 23-20 in favor of Philippines.<br /><br />PBA Veteran, Dondon Hontiveros, made his ABL Milestone as he sank his first ever three point shot at the beginning of the second.<br /><br />Alab world imports took charge mid of the 2nd quarter and successfully posted Philippines’ largest lead of 9, while Bobby Ray Parks extended it to 11,  42-31.<br /><br />Consistent Eastern scorer Christian Standhardinger was simply unstoppable in the latter part of the 2nd period. The once Alab double-digit lead was abruptly downsized to 3, 46-43 at the end of the first half. <br /><br />Despite the slim advantage, Alab’s three-point lead was way better compared to its last 2 games where the nationals trailed their opponents after 2 quarters and eventually lost.<br /><br />Josh Urbiztondo lived up to his moniker “The Fireball” as the 6-foot guard waxed hot from the wing for a back-to-back triples as Philippines unfolded the the 2nd half. Aside from Urbiztondo’s outside sniping, offensive boards helped the Filipinos in widening their lead. <br /><br />Hong Kong world import Marcus Elliot was a sleeper in the 1st half but came alive in the third aided by Tyler Lamb to trim Alab Pilipinas’ 10-point lead to just 1 with more than 3 minutes remaining in the penultimate quarter.<br /><br />After 30 minutes of action-packed basketball, Philippines still led Hong Kong, 46-44.<br /><br />Christian Standhardinger is well-known for his quick release under the basket shots. But in this game, he showed that he’s not only good in close-ranged shots but capable of draining three pointers too. Standhardinger made quick 3 treys as the final period started.<br /><br />Standhardinger kept the energy flowing for Hong Kong. However, his co-imports got into foul trouble as they approached the 6-minute mark of the fourth. Both Elliot and Moss committed their 4th personal fouls that hinted Coach Edu Torres to bring them out and focus on his heritage imports.<br /><br />Tyler Lamb’s highly-contested layup in the middle gave Hong Kong a 1-point, 89-88 lead with 3 more minutes remaining in the ballgame. Coach Jimmy Alapag called a timeout immediately but Alab’s bench was called for a technical foul. Marcus Elliot made the technical free throw to add a point more to Hong Kong’s lead.<br /><br />Coach Edu Torres’ gamble to play his world imports in the dying minutes of the game paid off as his team escalated its margin to 8 with less than a minute left.<br /><br />Bobby Ray Parks and Reggie Okosa managed to trim the lead to just 2 but Hong Kong hanged on tight to its lead and seal the deal with another home win, 99-96 and improved to 5-0. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas on the other hand, fell at the bottom of the standings with a 0-3 record.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Alab Pilipinas suffers another tough loss against Hong Kong Eastern

MANILA, Philippines - Almost but not quite. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas had a chance to score its first win of the season but fell short in the h...

MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X, overseas trip

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - After <b><a href="http://pinoybuzz.blogkorner.com/2017/12/ateneo-beats-la-salle-wins-uaap-season-80-title.html" rel="nofollow">dethroning the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers</a></b>, the newly crowned UAAP Basketball Kings and champions Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles will receive various incentives from the team’s principal benefactor Manny “MVP” Pangilinan as announced on Monday, December 4.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYqtewz9M0wqtKVSwwjCP3DqhrHAhP5oyTp-6Vc_ylExYqtezGtwBJBcTPVzATkCmRBE638VLiH_rRJGv3SSa0oEcUXm5UlIQSdyrWZAwMvShOEPYq-GA3oRvAT9iL5d8BSoeNEQ64Ox2/s1600/ateneo-champion-uaap.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYqtewz9M0wqtKVSwwjCP3DqhrHAhP5oyTp-6Vc_ylExYqtezGtwBJBcTPVzATkCmRBE638VLiH_rRJGv3SSa0oEcUXm5UlIQSdyrWZAwMvShOEPYq-GA3oRvAT9iL5d8BSoeNEQ64Ox2/s1600/ateneo-champion-uaap.jpg" title="MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greatest gift ever. Ateneo benefactor Manny “MVP” Pangilinan rewards the Blue Eagles with iPhone X and trip to Hong Kong. Photo Credit: ABS-CBN Sports</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Business tycoon MVP praised both the Eagles and Archers for putting up a great championship series. Aside from lauding the boys, the PLDT Group Chairman revealed the incentives that the Eagles are about to receive from his good office. Each player will get a brand new iPhone X as per The Guidon, ADMU’s official publication.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3O6-JkK0uvsSv2NNYGkeN105mcer8KaGpZOpc6JpzCmMfna2gWovGB0_4H-t1bSGVNXfKQYqmx0VaOblCN5MLi293CP5pK-aRoC19-OJnBoyIp7IXFRqY3e_Xv7_7rMkaHOI9kNteH27/s1600/mvp-rewards-ateneo.png" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3O6-JkK0uvsSv2NNYGkeN105mcer8KaGpZOpc6JpzCmMfna2gWovGB0_4H-t1bSGVNXfKQYqmx0VaOblCN5MLi293CP5pK-aRoC19-OJnBoyIp7IXFRqY3e_Xv7_7rMkaHOI9kNteH27/s1600/mvp-rewards-ateneo.png" title="MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X" /></a></div><br />Aside from the luxurious handset, Mr. Pangilinan is also treating the entire team to an extravagant trip and vacation to Hong Kong.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />The Filipino billionaire is also pleased on how the series ended and even bared that players from both squads have the potential to represent the country in international basketball tournaments after displaying their talents all throughout the Season 80 best-of-three finals series.<br /><br />The iPhone X has been available in the US and UK markets a month ago and it was just released in the Philippines last Friday. The prestigious smartphone is priced at Php 64,490 (64GB) and Php 73,990 (256GB) according to Apple Philippines page.<br /><br />Lucky for the Blue Eagles, they don’t have to spend that much on the world’s most high-end smartphone up to date. It will be best used in taking photos as souvenirs in Hong Kong too!<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

MVP rewards UAAP Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles with iPhone X, overseas trip

MANILA, Philippines - After dethroning the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers , the newly crowned UAAP Basketball Kings and champio...

Ateneo wins UAAP Season 80 Men’s Basketball title, edges La Salle in a thriller

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - After 5 long years, Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles are once again the Kings of the UAAP Basketball after dethroning De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 88-86 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXAugtGS_-UgLdMkTs1Q_rZGNCpz_H0_VY0SP5R_UALLAjnTn44CVIG74K5r9E-_0nalJ-2EHGfGBccBeMsKtGLINvsT9F5fddFJ0xAPEjt6yRTxxChjBNrhAZLnufBQDwdW4QJkS2PUI/s1600/ravena-nieto.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto celebrate Ateneo’s victory over La Salle in Game number 3" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXAugtGS_-UgLdMkTs1Q_rZGNCpz_H0_VY0SP5R_UALLAjnTn44CVIG74K5r9E-_0nalJ-2EHGfGBccBeMsKtGLINvsT9F5fddFJ0xAPEjt6yRTxxChjBNrhAZLnufBQDwdW4QJkS2PUI/s1600/ravena-nieto.JPG" title="Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto celebrate Ateneo’s victory over La Salle in Game number 3" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto celebrate Ateneo’s victory over La Salle in Game number 3. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Another good start for Ateneo as it forced La Salle to commit several turnovers to get the early 10-4 advantage. You know it’s a good Eagle basketball when a non-shooter big man like Chibueze Ikeh takes a three pointer and makes it.<br /><br />La Salle fought back and managed to trim the lead to just 4 but Ateneo stopped Archers’ run as soon as Isaac Go and Aaron Black stepped in the court and pushed the ball to the basket to bring the margin back to a double-digit.<br /><br />ADMU successfully maintained the lead at the end of the opening quarter, 24-14.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />2-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ben Mbala spent the half of the 1st period on the bench to preserve his energy. But as soon as he re-entered the court in the beginning of the 2nd quarter, La Salle all of a sudden stepped up its game and immediately tied the game at 25.<br /><br />Anton Asistio and Thirdy Ravena combined their efforts to grow their lead once again. But Aljun Melecio started to heat-up from the outside to counterattack Ateneo.<br /><br />Ateneo bigs Raffy Verano, Isaac Go and guard Anton Asistio broke the 4th deadlock of the game and wrapped up the 1st half with a narrow 7-point, 45-38 lead.<br /><br />Compared to the last game where Ateneo lost the will to win in the early phase of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles were full of energy this time. However, La Salle tried to replicate its excellent scoring run in the same quarter in game number 2 where it erased Ateneo’s 19-point lead. Archer Santi Santillan became La Salle’s main man as it started the third.<br /><br />DLSU took the lead for the first time with Ricci Rivero’s seamless trey but it was just momentarily as Raffy Verano also sank a triple.<br /><br />Ricci Rivero for the second straight time obtained his 4th personal foul. But before he was pulled out by Coach Aldin Ayo, he wowed the crowd with a baseline dunk and gave the lead back to his team, 62-59.<br /><br />Both squads gave the fans and patrons a very good game. It was a pure thriller as the penultimate quarter ended in another deadlock, 66-all.<br /><br />Coach Ayo gambled on Ricci Rivero and sent the wingman back with plenty of time left in the final period. Aside from Rivero, Ben Mbala was also nursing his 3rd personal foul. <br /><br />Ateneo guards Matt Nieto and Anton Asistio came back strong with a back-to-back long bombs for the instant 74-68 lead. Coach Ayo didn’t waste any time to burn a timeout to extinguish the hot shooting hands of the Blue Eagles.<br /><br />ADMU bursted an 8-0 run and had most of the boards, 9-3, as the 5-minute mark of the fourth approached. DLSU on the other hand, kept on shooting blanks. Ricci Rivero ended La Salle’s dry spell as he completed his foul shots.<br /><br />Ateneo matched its biggest lead of the game with 10 with 3:33 left. Thirdy Ravena had a terrific night as he led the last period onslaught. 80-70 in favor of the Blue Eagles.<br /><br />Aljun Melecio made a three pointer to cut the lead to just 7 with 2 minutes remaining in the game. However. Ben Mbala committed his 4th personal foul but refused to leave the floor to keep on fighting and hoped to save La Salle from a painful exit.<br /><br />La Salle made it to a one-possession ballgame, 82-80 with 48 seconds left with Andrei Caracut’s three points.<br /><br />Isaac Go, the Atenean hero against FEU in the semis, once again made a timely rainbow shot to make the Eagles’ lead to 5, 85-80. Go spared La Salle with one-full shot clock.<br /><br />The Green Archers had a chance to lessen the gap with a trey but it missed and recovered by the Blue Eagles. Coach Tab Baldwin, called a timeout to secure his team’s final possession with 15 ticks remaining in the ballgame.<br /><br />Andrei Caracut fouled Anton Asistio after the inbound play. The latter split his charities but gave Ateneo a two-possession lead, 86-80.<br /><br />Clearly, La Salle opted for a quick 3 and Aljun Melecio made it with 5 seconds left. Matt Nieto went to the line after getting fouled and completed his foul shots, 88-83. <br /><br />Kib Montalbo hit the last shot from behind the arc and it went it. However, his three wasn’t enough to tie the game and officially handed the trophy to Ateneo after 5 long years. 88-86 is the final score of the game in favor of the new kings of the UAAP, the Ateneo De Manila University.<br /><br />Go was named Manulife's "110% Heart and Hustle" Player of the Finale while Ravena won as the Finals MVP.<br /><br />On behalf of The Summit Express, congratulations to the entire Ateneo De Manila University for a One Big Fight!<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Ateneo wins UAAP Season 80 Men’s Basketball title, edges La Salle in a thriller

MANILA, Philippines - After 5 long years, Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles are once again the Kings of the UAAP Basketball aft...

ABL: Singapore Slingers hand Alab Pilipinas its 2nd straight loss

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Nothing will be more painful than losing a game in front of the home crowd. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas hit the rock bottom of the standings in the 2017 ASEAN Basketball League after losing anew, this time, against visiting Singapore Slingers, 97-83 on Wednesday, November 29 in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh9aAxuONrnaQduJeEpG6Ii8R39gS-wlm5XZSMdEz3GZEYPthhQ6Qi-8EsCr7bAI463qCU6tW-nfzmw8OYC6J_ixHDa7QOjlFEkk9jqojIInmI1dvkeY033ptJgL_yqcvgczCIdaej4QE/s1600/xavier_alexander.png" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Singapore Slingers hand Alab Pilipinas its 2nd straight loss" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="591" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh9aAxuONrnaQduJeEpG6Ii8R39gS-wlm5XZSMdEz3GZEYPthhQ6Qi-8EsCr7bAI463qCU6tW-nfzmw8OYC6J_ixHDa7QOjlFEkk9jqojIInmI1dvkeY033ptJgL_yqcvgczCIdaej4QE/s1600/xavier_alexander.png" title="Singapore Slingers hand Alab Pilipinas its 2nd straight loss" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super import Xavier Alexander showed no mercy to Alab Pilipinas and the home crowd. Photo Credit: tnp.sg</td></tr></tbody></table><br />If there’s one thing in every Alab Pilipinas player’s mind, that would be: not to lose a back-to-back games in the home turf. But sadly, lightning struck the Philippine ABL team twice tonight.<br /><br />Both teams started the game slow. But it was Singapore Slingers who went ahead of the game with a 7-2 lead with over 6 minutes left in the opening period. World imports Ivan Johnson and Reggie Okosa teamed-up to level the score with 9-apiece at the 3:12 mark of the opener.<br /><br />Ex-TNT reinforcement, Ivan Johnson, fell hard on the floor as he fought for a rebound against counterpart Xavier Alexander. Johnson stood-up but was obviously in pain. He was sent to the bench for further examination and was replaced by heritage import Lawrence Domingo.<br /><br />Aside from Xavier Alexander, local Slingers star Delvin Goh lifted up the team to secure the lead after the first 10 minutes of the game. 23-15 in favor of Singapore.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Philippines was held scoreless for the first 2 minutes of the 2nd period. Lawrence Domingo broke the scoring drought with a driving layup. On the other hand, second Slingers world import, Ryan Wright, did significant damage to Alab and escalated the lead to 15.<br /><br />Oping Sumalinog and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. both sank triples as soon as they stepped on the floor to cut Singapore’s lead to a single-digit. But Slinger heritage import and Filipino-Canadian, AJ Mandani, answered back with his own version of back-to-back three pointers to place his team’s advantage back to 14.<br /><br />Just like its previous game against Hong Kong, Tanduay Alab Pilipinas still can’t find its rhythm after the 1st half. Singapore Slingers led by a dozen, 50-38.<br /><br />Alab had a terrific run in the early phase of the third. But the problem was, Slingers did a spectacular 3rd quarter as well. Xavier Alexander and Ryan Wright continued to punish Alab in the shaded lane that prolonged the Slingers’ lead.<br /><br />It was a three point shootout between Alab’s Josh Urbiztondo and Slingers’ Ng Hanbin come midway of the 3rd period. Philippines managed to lower the lead to just 8, 68-60.<br /><br />Philippines leaned on its transition offense to finally break the barriers and started to show what it’s capable of. Ivan Johnson who had 7 points in the 1st half came back aggressively in the third and led Alab’s onslaught until the quarter buzzer sounded. Philippines slashed Singapore’s lead to just 3, 74-71.<br /><br />Singapore welcomed Philippines at the start of the final period with a 12-0 run and ballooned its lead to 15 once again.<br /><br />Slingers posted its biggest lead of 18 points, 91-73 with 5:31 left in the ballgame. Nothing was going right for Alab. Even the close-range shot were not going in. In contrary, Singapore got too lucky in all angles of the floor.<br /><br />Slingers imports: Alexander, Wright and Mandani tormented Alab Pilipinas until the end of the game while locals Goh and Hanbin chipped in valuable numbers to give Philippines its back-to-back losses.<br /><b><br /></b> <b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

ABL: Singapore Slingers hand Alab Pilipinas its 2nd straight loss

MANILA, Philippines - Nothing will be more painful than losing a game in front of the home crowd. Tanduay Alab Pilipinas hit the rock bottom...

La Salle dodges the bullet, extends UAAP finals series to Game 3

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Top-seeded Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles blew a 21-point lead but unfortunately handed down Game 2 to De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 92-83 in the Season 80 UAAP men's basketball finals on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldAvJ2vGzispq868fMztljQM6buHmtAKsEBc3OhiJp5pXrOX4yKs6LPGxpgExR6Jy7LMtA1NA8mUZvs1byJJXqbBmbEY_fq_JfLGdFu2MfQQTMq2sJaQpEAYyv0hTnjZhHJ85pzigdSq1/s1600/MBala-dlsu-uaap.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ben Mbala after the Game 1 debacle, vowed to be more explosive in Game 2" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldAvJ2vGzispq868fMztljQM6buHmtAKsEBc3OhiJp5pXrOX4yKs6LPGxpgExR6Jy7LMtA1NA8mUZvs1byJJXqbBmbEY_fq_JfLGdFu2MfQQTMq2sJaQpEAYyv0hTnjZhHJ85pzigdSq1/s1600/MBala-dlsu-uaap.JPG" title="Ben Mbala after the Game 1 debacle, vowed to be more explosive in Game 2" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True to his words, Ben Mbala after the Game 1 debacle, vowed to be more explosive in Game 2. The 2-time MVP fulfilled his promise and led La Salle’s comeback win against Ateneo. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Gunning for their 9th title since joining the prestigious collegiate league in the country, the Blue Eagles with a 1-0 series advantage tried to finish off their greatest rivals, the Green Archers today. But the men in green aimed  to repulse their arch-nemesis to force a rubber match on Sunday.<br /><br />Both teams traded baskets as early as the first few seconds of the game. Both had quick triples but it was Ateneo who had the slight edge as the 5-minute mark of the opening period approached, 13-5 and all starters had made a bucket at least.<br /><br />La Salle’s agile wing-man, Ricci Rivero hit the foul trouble too early and prompted Coach Aldin Ayo to send him back to bench to preserve his remaining personal fouls for the rest of the game.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Anton Asistio lighted it up from the outside to widen the Ateneo-gap to a dozen that panicked Coach Ayo and called a mandatory timeout.<br /><br />Ayo’s timeout didn’t do his team any good. It was a double black-eye for the sophomore coach as his ace player and MVP Ben Mbala got into foul trouble as well after the ceasefire.<br /><br />ADMU was in total control after the first 10 minutes of the opener, 32-15.<br /><br />La Salle slowly getting back on track at the start of the 2nd period. Kib Montalbo and Ricci Rivero led the way while Ben Mbala wasn’t able to keep it up in terms of scoring.<br /><br />Despite La Salle’s early 5-0 run, Ateneo fired back with their own scoring blast and posted the biggest lead of the game of 21 points, 45-24 with 5:30 remaining in the half.<br /><br />With 3:21 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, La Salle’s Ricci Rivero committed his 4th personal foul and once again relegated to the sidelines. <br /><br />Green Archers made another excellent run led by Aljun Melecio and Ben Mbala who rocked the rim with a monster alley-oop jam. The once 21-point lead was abruptly cut to just 9 in less than 3 minutes. The Blue Eagles however were still in favor after the first half, 51-42 spearheaded by Thirdy Ravena who led all scorers with 13. <br /><br />After La Salle’s 12-0 blitz, Ateneo finally made a most-needed basket courtesy of Chibueze Ikeh at the beginning of the third.<br /><br />DLSU intensified its defense that resulted to a superb comeback. The Archers were able to trim Ateneo’s lead to just 6 from as high as 21 and they did it without the aid of Ricci Rivero who was nursing his 4th personal fouls.<br /><br />All of a sudden, Ateneo’s hot shooting hands gone ice cold as the Eagles allowed a 24-5 scoring surge by La Salle. The Archers were totally back in the game as they snatched the lead from the Eagles  with over 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.<br /><br />La Salle turned the momentum to its side and ended the penultimate period with a 68-59 lead.<br /><br />Ateneo tried to regain the lead in the final quarter. But every time the Eagles scored, the Archers retaliated to stop Coach Tab Baldwin’s boys in re-taking the advantage that could cost them this game.<br /><br />Aaron Black was the only Eagle who thrived to level the score with 5 more minutes remaining in the game. Black single-handedly poured 10 points to get closer to La Salle. His three pointer cut the lead to just 4, 74-70.<br /><br />Ateneo’s Assistant Coach Gene Afable was whistled for a technical foul for continuous complaining. Some of the fans didn’t like the call and they started yelling “luto! luto!” and bottles and coins were thrown at the court.<br /><br />In spite of the efforts exerted by Aaron Black who had 11 points in 4th quarter alone, De La Salle still managed to take care of its lead and closed out game number 2 with an unbelievable comeback win, 92-83 for the series equalizer.<br /><br />Do-or-die game will be on Sunday, December 3 at 4 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

La Salle dodges the bullet, extends UAAP finals series to Game 3

MANILA, Philippines - Top-seeded Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles blew a 21-point lead but unfortunately handed down Game 2 to...

Gilas Pilipinas makes it two-in-a-row, tops bracket in the 2019 FIBA WC Asian Qualifiers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Another sloppy and sluggish game for Gilas Pilipinas. But the nationals successfully defended their house and wrapped up the year with an immaculate 2-0 bracket record in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers after surviving a scary Chinese Taipei run, 90-83 on Monday night, November 27, 2017 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsirFelFrqdq1ebzWoK_kqghZ73eRR7JEcxOtyMLaclcErtRPOfulv-8ZJKAe7BELcweFnmNAeUAqUAsx9xkdsiDDOCWa0IBYUSTBpqDPzU-8bE6YB_-IAqKRCcvn6V11ZvsWco5jdPO4/s1600/Matthew_Wright.png" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Matthew Wright made crucial three pointers in the final period" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsirFelFrqdq1ebzWoK_kqghZ73eRR7JEcxOtyMLaclcErtRPOfulv-8ZJKAe7BELcweFnmNAeUAqUAsx9xkdsiDDOCWa0IBYUSTBpqDPzU-8bE6YB_-IAqKRCcvn6V11ZvsWco5jdPO4/s1600/Matthew_Wright.png" title="Matthew Wright made crucial three pointers in the final period" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Matthew Wright made crucial three pointers in the final period to survive the tough Chinese Taipei squad. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table>Just like the way Gilas started against Japan, the nationals were once again sloppy and defenseless as they allowed Taipei to blitz a 10-0 run. Quincy Davis alone, posted a quick 7 points.<br /><br />Prior to the game, Coach Chot Reyes warned his boys not to be over-confident and not to underestimate the Taiwanese team despite their convincing win over Japan 3 days ago. Reyes emphasized that they must treat their opponents with utmost respect.<br /><br />Gilas barely caught up as June Mar Fajardo stepped in the court. Fajardo made it to 19-12 with over 3 minutes remaining in the first. The reigning PBA MVP even got Quincy Davis’ 2 personal fouls.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />After 10 minutes of careless Gilas basketball, Philippines managed to comeback and trimmed the Taipei lead to just 5, 23-18.<br /><br />Coach Chot wasn’t really happy on how Andray Blatche guarded Quincy Davis in the first and gave the latter a dozen points. To his dismay, Coach Reyes sent Blatche to the bench and let June Mar took over his role. Realizing his mistakes, Andray Blatche atoned his errors by chipping in significant numbers and crushing the boards as he re-entered in the 2nd period.<br /><br />Rookie Kiefer Ravena converted a fastbreak layup that switched the lead to the Philippine side, 28-27. Aside from the momentum shift, created by Ravena, the former King Eagle stole another Taipei possession for an extra deuce.<br /><br />Gilas Pilipinas managed to preserve its paper-thin lead, 44-42 at the end of the 1st half. June Mar Fajardo led the Philippine squad with 9 points.<br /><br />Quincy Davis spent a little over a minute in the 3rd quarter and immediately went back to the sideline as he committed his 4th personal foul. Due to Davis’ absence, June Mar Fajardo continued to pummel Taipei under the basket and widened Gilas’ margin inch by inch.<br /><br />Chou Po Hsun made a baseline jumper to regain the lead from Philippines, 61-60 with a minute remaining in the 3rd period. <br /><br />Calvin Abueva intercepted a pass as the clock died down. Abueva attempted a hail mary shot but got fouled. Unfortunately, “The Beast” missed all of his 3 free throws that left Gilas with just a point lead, 63-62.<br /><br />Matthew Wright started the final period with a trey. Wright’s long shot was just Philippines’ 3rd conversion in 14 attempts. Seconds after the first 4th quarter three pointer, Matthew Wright sank another triple.<br /><br />Chinese Taipei threatened to overtake Philippines anew as they closed the gap to a half-shot with 6 minutes left in the game clock.<br /><br />Slowly but surely, Gilas Pilipinas was showing its true form in the final phase of the 4th period. RR Pogoy joined Matthew Wright in three point shooting spree that gave Philippines its biggest lead of 8, 84-76.<br /><br />Coach Reyes pulled out Kiefer Ravena who had a terrific night with 9 markers and brought Jayson Castro-William in to protect their lead and prevent an upset.<br /><br />Gilas Pilipinas once again survived a scary run and wrapped-up 2017 with a 90-83 victory and a 2-0 clean slate record. Philippines is currently at the 1st place together with Team Australia in their bracket. Chinese Taipei on the other hand, dropped to 0-2 alongside Japan.<br /><br />Team Philippines has 3 months to prepare before they face the Boomers on February 22 in Australia and fly back promptly to Manila to host Akatsuki 5 Japan on February 25.<br /><b><br /></b> <b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Gilas Pilipinas makes it two-in-a-row, tops bracket in the 2019 FIBA WC Asian Qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines - Another sloppy and sluggish game for Gilas Pilipinas. But the nationals successfully defended their house and wrapped ...

Gilas Pilipinas wins against Japan in FIBA WC Asian Qualifiers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Despite the slow and sluggish start, national team Gilas Pilipinas, led by Jayson Castro-William still managed to escape Japan with a 77-71 convincing win in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday, November 24, 2017 in Tokyo Japan.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQnvmAZnVF1BkWEj-T5Gnrr2WQoyXwPFjPpDwBR9WiE8rmm5O9idLKUfSGc5I5taiymOFObHt4DuM5TIga6_y3pcXJob_p4aQEMqMrA09byg3rEXWEMvZFgg9lkHzTRpp7uWc3SXw0WTt/s1600/Jayson-Castro-vs-Japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jayson Castro-William led Gilas with 20 points to cop Philippines’ 1st win in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers." border="0" class="img" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="669" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQnvmAZnVF1BkWEj-T5Gnrr2WQoyXwPFjPpDwBR9WiE8rmm5O9idLKUfSGc5I5taiymOFObHt4DuM5TIga6_y3pcXJob_p4aQEMqMrA09byg3rEXWEMvZFgg9lkHzTRpp7uWc3SXw0WTt/s1600/Jayson-Castro-vs-Japan.jpg" title="Jayson Castro-William led Gilas with 20 points to cop Philippines’ 1st win in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers." /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jayson Castro-William led Gilas with 20 points to cop Philippines’ 1st win in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table>Fact: Japan hasn’t won against the Philippines in international basketball scene for at least a decade now. Today, Gilas Pilipinas will try to continue the winning streak in the homeland of the Akatsuki 5.<br /><br />With less than a month of practice, the nationals were obviously not in their top shape as they kept on firing blanks as the tournament unfolded. Good news though, Japan had a cold start as the Philippines. <br /><br />Midway of the opener, the score was 4-3 in favor of Philippines. Defensive stops like numerous blocks were Gilas’ only highlights until Japeth Aguilar and Gabe Norwood hyped up the crowd with a back-to-back slams.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Gilas finally found its rhythm and posted its first double-digit lead 14-3 under 3 minutes of the first. June Mar Fajardo dropped 2 consecutive baskets in less than 30 seconds to help Philippines savor the convincing advantage.<br /><br />After the first 10 minutes, Gilas Pilipinas had an 8-point, 18-10 lead.<br /><br />Calvin Abueva started the 2nd quarter for Coach Chot Reyes and without any hesitation, “The Beast” drove hard to the basket couple of times for an instant 5 points under his name.<br /><br />Philippines’ tough defense continued in the 2nd quarter. Gilas blocked Japan under the rim 7 times courtesy of the big men: Andray Blatche, Japeth Aguilar and June Mar Fajardo.<br /><br />Japan, led by Makoto Hijiema fought back and managed to tear down the lead to just 6 with 4 minutes remaining in the half but Jayson Castro-William was able to bring it to 10 as he ended Philippines’ 3-minute scoring drought.<br /><br />Matthew Wright beat the the halftime buzzer off Andray Blatche’s almost-turnover and gave Philippines a 9-point, 37-28.<br /><br />Andray Blatche committed 2 consecutive turnovers that gave Japan a quick 7-0 run. Gilas’ lead was chipped to 2 with just 2 minutes gone by in the third period. <br /><br />Tenketsu Harimoto connected from the outside followed by Yuki Togashi’s triple as Akatsuki totally grabbed the lead from Philippines.<br /><br />Andray Blatche checked back in after being sent back to the bench for committing costly errors. The naturalized player’s presence under the basket gave Philippines the advantage anew 53-46 with 2 minutes remaining in the third.<br /><br />For the second time, Philippines beat the quarter buzzer. Dray Blatche connected from the arc as the clock winded down for the 59-55 slim advantage.<br /><br />Gilas intensified its defense in the beginning of the final quarter. But Japan got few loose ball possessions and made them into significant points to keep the game close. 63-60 in favor of Philippines with 6:29 left.<br /><br />Japan was slowly coming back in the game. Lucky for Gilas, Akatsuki consumed its team fouls early in the fourth.<br /><br />Gilas once again jotted down another double-digit lead, 70-60 with over 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Japan however, threatened to snatch the numbers again from Philippines. The margin was trimmed to just 4 with 2:50 remaining in the clock.<br /><br />With less than a minute left, Gilas Pilipinas was up by 6 points. Jayson Castro started to melt the clock down to protect his team’s 2-possession advantage. <br /><br />Roger Pogoy stole a ball from Yuki Togashi that could’ve triggered an upset. Pogoy, the reigning Rookie Of the Year of PBA, drove straight to the goal as he placed the icing on the cake. <br /><br />Gilas escaped the scary Akatsuki run, 77-71 and will go home with a win. Philippines will face Chinese Taipei next in Manila on Monday, November 27.<br /><br /><b>WATCH: Japan vs Philippines | FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers</b><br /><br /><center><div class="video-wrapper"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uUuzjjLP_q8" width="100%"></iframe></div></center><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Gilas Pilipinas wins against Japan in FIBA WC Asian Qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the slow and sluggish start, national team Gilas Pilipinas, led by Jayson Castro-William still managed to esca...

Chot Reyes bares Gilas 12 for FIBA World Qualifiers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines – With just a day remaining for Gilas Pilipinas in facing Team Japan in the FIBA World Qualifier opener, Head Coach Chot Reyes has finally revealed his 12-man line-up in Tokyo Japan on Thursday morning, November 23, 2017.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq77w2vF5I08ukyKUCaEg53hZ2nNps9k2VTmnG8zKZw5LgciO_CKsbDPVWVYc8wn6fmb7Cn7PAU4sliPMIpUPdnzQEWkPiW0kqYIfsboqsgORaoVGoYGLyM_Cb3FSjZ_O2gXsrD39H5Ndp/s1600/andray-blatche-gilas-pilipinas.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Andray Blatche Gilas Pilipinas World Qualifiers 2017" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq77w2vF5I08ukyKUCaEg53hZ2nNps9k2VTmnG8zKZw5LgciO_CKsbDPVWVYc8wn6fmb7Cn7PAU4sliPMIpUPdnzQEWkPiW0kqYIfsboqsgORaoVGoYGLyM_Cb3FSjZ_O2gXsrD39H5Ndp/s1600/andray-blatche-gilas-pilipinas.jpg" title="Andray Blatche Gilas Pilipinas World Qualifiers 2017" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andray Blatche arrived on time to reinforce the injury-plagued Gilas Pilipinas. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Alongside with naturalized bigman Andray Blatche who just joined the team few days ago, mainstays: Jayson Castro William, June Mar Fajardo, Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Abueva, Allein Maliksi, Roger Pogoy,, Matthew Wright and Troy Rosario. Newcomers Rookie Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas also made the final cut.<br /><br />Shooter Carl Bryan Cruz, Gilas cadet Mac Belo and center Raymond Almazan didn’t make the official lineup and were assigned to the reserve list. Almazan however still nurses a sprained ankle which he sustained in a practice recently.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Asia’s Golden Boy and Scoring Champion Terrence Romeo missed the selection as the Globalport Guard is also suffering from an injury. Romeo hasn’t showed up in any practices and tune-up games since the national squad started the training camp.<br /><br />Gilas Pilipinas will face FIBA ranked number 50 Team Japan tomorrow, November 24 at 6:00 p.m. (Philippine Time) to be aired live by ESPN 5.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Chot Reyes bares Gilas 12 for FIBA World Qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines – With just a day remaining for Gilas Pilipinas in facing Team Japan in the FIBA World Qualifier opener, Head Coach Chot...

Ateneo eliminates FEU, faces La Salle anew in UAAP finals

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles lived up to its 13-1 season record and top dog status as it ended Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws’ season, 88-84 on Wednesday, November 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOwrRLv92cibyplEPAET3vmxkT9qX84yY0mmAt27ETlt0zBTTZjFJUmKcl_dLfds6zHWfEOCqWKQc6dqEPEm34ze6Y7WoGJ9_K1B5cJ-VfhpsMLY5llijHju30Mxt3izr6k_ZvUC5I28E/s1600/feu-ateneo-uaap.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Matt Nieto saved Ateneo from a near elimination vs FEU" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOwrRLv92cibyplEPAET3vmxkT9qX84yY0mmAt27ETlt0zBTTZjFJUmKcl_dLfds6zHWfEOCqWKQc6dqEPEm34ze6Y7WoGJ9_K1B5cJ-VfhpsMLY5llijHju30Mxt3izr6k_ZvUC5I28E/s1600/feu-ateneo-uaap.JPG" title="Matt Nieto saved Ateneo from a near elimination vs FEU" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Nieto saved Ateneo from a near elimination vs FEU. Photo Credit: Rappler.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br />While the Archers wait for their opponent at the UAAP Finals for more than a week now, the Eagles and the Tamaraws’ backs were both against the wall and had no tomorrow to spare. One school will surely move on and one will definitely go home.<br /><br />A 3-day off was enough for both squads to prepare and study each other’s game plan. True to this, the do-or-die game was too close to call and was defense-focused that resulted to a low-scoring, 23-21 1st quarter in favor of Ateneo.<br /><br />Chibueze Ikeh, who was the missing link in the previous game, looked remorseful as he started the 2nd period with already 5 points. Tamaraw JR Parker on the other hand, didn’t want to let go of his team’s momentum and kept the score tight through his outside sniping skills.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />During game 1, Ateneo seemed too tired and out gassed out even in the early phase of the game. But in this game, ADMU showed up well-prepared and determined to finish this game off and face its biggest rival; La Salle for a rematch of last season’s UAAP finals.<br /><br />Tyler Tio and Aaron Black both hit three pointers before the 2nd period ended but it was ADMU’s big man, Isaac Go who finished the 1st half with a triple of his own that gave his team a decent 40-33 lead.<br /><br />FEU started the third with 7-0 run to tie the game until Thirdy Ravena ended the Eagles’ scoring drought with an acrobatic layup to regain the lead.<br /><br />Tamaraw star forward Alvin Tolentino, who spent majority of the 1st half due to foul trouble checked back in the game midway of the 3rd quarter to reinforce FEU as Ateneo slowly bumped-up its lead.<br /><br />The score got tuck at 51-47 for over 4 minutes. It was ADMU’s Jolo Mendoza who moved the scoreboard from the outside. FEU followed the scoring suit and wrapped-up the third in a good note. Ateneo however still led the game, 57-53.<br /><br />Far Eastern U tasted the 1st lead of game 59-57 as they started the 4th and final quarter. Center Prince Orizu led the way with offensive boards and put-backs to even widened the margin, 65-59 with 7 more minutes remaining in the ballgame. <br /><br />Downed by 8, Rookie Eagle Gian Mamuyac stepped-up and leveled the game at 69-all to keep his team’s hope alive.<br /><br />Thirdy Ravena reclaimed the lead from FEU with a fast break layup. A basket which Ateneo needed the most. The Eagles had a slim 1-point, 72-71 advantage with 33 second remaining.<br /><br />JR Parker scored a well-contested layup as the lead swung to the Tamaraw’s side, 73-72. The Eagles however, had 1 full shot clock to win the game. <br /><br />Matt Nieto took the shot too early and missed big time. FEU got the rebound and had 16 seconds in their possession. JR Parker got fouled after the inbound and completed his charities for 75-72 lead.<br /><br />Coach Tab Baldwin drew a play fit for 14 seconds that will decide his team’s fate as he burned his last and final timeout. Baldwin’s unconventional play miraculously paid off as his big man, Isaac Go hit a trey and tied the game.<br /><br />It was Coach Olsen Racela’s turn to make a play with 8 ticks remaining in the game clock that could send FEU to the Finals or extend game number 2 into an overtime. Arvin Tolentino took the ball for the last shot but unfortunately, the ball slipped off his hands and confirmed the game extension.<br /><br />Both squads traded baskets like there’s no tomorrow as they unfolded the overtime. At the 2-minute warning, the game is tied at 80-all. <br /><br />Matt Nieto broke the deadlock with floater in the middle followed by cold-blooded three pointer for the 85-80 advantage and 46 seconds left in the extra period.<br /><br />JR Parker who was waxing hot in the first 4 quarters instantly gone called in the O.T. and officially gave the last finals seat to Ateneo 88-84.<br /><br />The UAAP Finals: Ateneo De Manila University vs. De La Salle University series will start on Saturday at 4 pm at Mall of Asia Arena.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Ateneo eliminates FEU, faces La Salle anew in UAAP finals

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles lived up to its 13-1 season record and top dog status as it ended F...

Hong Kong beats Alab Pilipinas in the 2017 ABL opener

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - “Almost but not quite.” Tanduay Alab Pilipinas fell in the hands of visiting Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team, 93-89. Alab Pilipinas however, gave Hong Kong a very good fight and definitely entertained the home crowd on Sunday, November 19 at the Mall of Asia Arena.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nx-YPdhQAgQDbZ_b2JRMCe-O7oBQieZ2sNwlEqlC3XCjhSDcvsPcOKOhrGWQxiTuVzII9u_mpNgW91kGz538rRav6S3N5M2hZfYAbkGpFEutte4C92JpzJ2ngTLHFUqMh03FHcOVl8tZ/s1600/standhardinger-alab.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Christian Standhardinger’s crucial baskets in the later part of the 4th quarter saved Hong Kong" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nx-YPdhQAgQDbZ_b2JRMCe-O7oBQieZ2sNwlEqlC3XCjhSDcvsPcOKOhrGWQxiTuVzII9u_mpNgW91kGz538rRav6S3N5M2hZfYAbkGpFEutte4C92JpzJ2ngTLHFUqMh03FHcOVl8tZ/s1600/standhardinger-alab.JPG" title="Christian Standhardinger’s crucial baskets in the later part of the 4th quarter saved Hong Kong" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger’s crucial baskets in the later part of the 4th quarter saved Hong Kong Eastern’s game opener. Photo Credit: ABS-CBN Sports</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was a good start indeed for Tanduay Alab Pilipinas as the home team opened the 2017 ASEAN Basketball League Season with a quick 5 to nothing run against the Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team.<br /><br />Ex-Ginebra and Singapore Slinger Josh Urbiztondo led the early attack and dropped 2 consecutive long bombs but the Lions retaliated immediately spearheaded by their world import Marcus Elliott. <br /><br />San Miguel Rookie and Eastern heritage import Christian Standhardinger scored against Ivan Johnson under the rim to snatch the lead from Alab Pilipinas 15-14 with 3 minutes remaining in the opener.<br /><br />Hong Kong intensified its defense against the Philippines in the latter part of the first. With this, the Eastern was rewarded with a 6-point lead, 24-18.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Marcus Elliott posted his double-digit superb performance in the 2nd period and widened Eastern’s lead to 9, 35-26 that signaled Alab Coach Jimmy Alapag to bring his key players Ray Ray Parks and Josh Urbiztondo.<br /><br />Deadly Oping Sumalinog drained 2 consecutive triples to cut Hong Kong’s lead to just 5. Coach Edu Torres promptly called a halt to stop Philippines’ offensive momentum.<br /><br />The combination of Marcus Elliott and Tyler Lamb became a major concern for Coach Jimmy Alapag. Alab was able to bring the lead down to just 2 but Eastern’s imports were simply unstoppable from both the shaded area and rainbow country. After the first 20 minutes, Hong Kong led Philippines 54-43.<br /><br />Alab’s another world import Reggie Okosa and Ray Ray Parks became more active at the start of the third quarter but Christian Standhardinger and Marcus Elliott did the same to Philippines and managed to preserve their wide margin.<br /><br />At the 3:10 mark, Ivan Johnson trimmed the lead to 8 with a drive to the left. Reggie Okosa added 2 more via unsportsmanlike free throws.<br /><br />Slowly but surely, Alab Pilipinas was getting back on track. The once 15-point Hong Kong lead was downsized to 5, 73-68 at the end of the third.<br /><br />Alab Pilipinas started the final quarter hot. Josh Urbiztondo sank another three pointer followed by Ray Ray Parks’ and one for the lead, 74-73. It was Philippines’ first lead since the early phase of the 1st period.<br /><br />Alab’s lead was cut short by Ryan Moss, the 43 year old world import of Hong Kong. Just couple of minutes after Philippines took the lead, Eastern was again up by 8 points.<br />At the final 2 minutes of the game, Hong Kong’s lead was still 6, 87-81. <br /><br />Alab Pilipinas lost Ivan Johnson due to personal fouls and Dondon Hontiveros has yet to score. Good thing that Pilipinas managed to neutralize Elliott and Lamb that left Eastern’s scoring chores on the shoulders of Moss and Standhardinger.<br /><br />Reggie Okosa buried his first triple of the game that gave Alab Pilipinas a ray of hope to win the game. 88-86 in favor of Hong Kong with 34 ticks left in the game clock.<br /><br />Standhardinger connected with a mid-range jumper for the 4-point lead while Ray Ray Parks completed a 3-point basket to cut the Eastern lead to just 1, 90-89.<br /><br />With just 1 point slim advantage, Hong Kong had 10 seconds in possession. The ball went straight to Christian Standhardinger’s hand and without any hesitation, the Fil-German pulled the trigger for the 92-89 dagger. Josh Urbiztondo took the last shot from the half court and almost made it.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

Hong Kong beats Alab Pilipinas in the 2017 ABL opener

MANILA, Philippines - “Almost but not quite.” Tanduay Alab Pilipinas fell in the hands of visiting Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team, 93-89....

FEU Tamaraws tame ADMU Blue Eagles, force do-or-die

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Fourth-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) surprised number 1 team Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) and sent the Blue Eagles in a do-or-die game in the UAAP Season 80 Final Four showdown on Sunday, November 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QDKwO2XJNZwCDYjtHB8osEWf12nJPUa6h4GmipIJNTZ746njnl4vuM1jrYeh-HbhC80FcXrzm053tOOwEz6LM_3ryjLT-R7xOMLneC-5aSaQZmJdBmUTjEutvNs29Dw805oT63JfDfEH/s1600/arvin-tolentino-feu.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ex-Eagle Arvin Tolentino contributed significant numbers to beat his former school." border="0" class="img" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QDKwO2XJNZwCDYjtHB8osEWf12nJPUa6h4GmipIJNTZ746njnl4vuM1jrYeh-HbhC80FcXrzm053tOOwEz6LM_3ryjLT-R7xOMLneC-5aSaQZmJdBmUTjEutvNs29Dw805oT63JfDfEH/s1600/arvin-tolentino-feu.JPG" title="Ex-Eagle Arvin Tolentino contributed significant numbers to beat his former school." /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ex-Eagle Arvin Tolentino contributed significant numbers to beat his former school. Photo Credit: ABS-CBN Sports</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It’s been a day since De La Salle University occupied the first finals spot after eliminating the Adamson University. Today, the Ateneo De Manila University will attempt to secure the last finals seat but the Far Eastern University hopes for an upset and extend the series to a grudge match.<br /><br />The Blue Eagles welcomed the Tamaraws with a back-to-back three pointers courtesy of Vince Tolentino and Thirdy Ravena. But FEU wasn’t impressed at all. The Tamaraws fired back spearheaded by ex-Ateneo Forward Arvin Tolentino and even led the Eagles by 5.<br /><br />Shooting guard Alex Inigo found his comfort zone from the outside as he ended the 1st quarter with a smile on his face and 6-point 21-15 FEU lead.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />FEU had escalated its margin to 9 but Matt Nieto came back strong as the Eagles started the 2nd period and trimmed the lead down to just 3. Coach Nash Racela alarmed by Ateneo’s run, called for a mandatory timeout to talk things over.<br /><br />After Racela’s timeout, Nieto again launched a trey for the tie, 24-all with 7 more minutes remaining in the half.<br /><br />Tamaraws Ron Dennison and Richard Escoto answered Matt Nieto’s outside sniping and brought their lead back again to 6. <br /><br />Thirdy Ravena checked back in and made a couple of baskets to cut the number to just a single shot, 38-35 as the 1st half clock expired.<br /><br />Eagle Anton Asistio immediately released a long shot right after the ball was inbounded at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Ron Dennison however, countered with 2 triples followed by an up and under hoop to escalate their advantage to 10. <br /><br />Under 2 minutes of the 3rd period, FEU maintained its double-digit lead by tightening its defense on Ateneo and savored its rival’s missed shots from all angles of the court. At the end of the penultimate quarter, the Tamaraws once again led the Eagles 59-48.<br /><br />Arvin Tolentino kept his team up as he initiated the run and gun plays. The 6’5” forward did the dirty jobs defensively and converted them to points off turnovers. Ateneo on the other hand, started to lose the fight little by little as turnovers and blank shots continued to pile up.<br /><br />Desperate to find an antidote against FEU’s onslaught, Coach Tab Baldwin tried to field in 4 guards and an undersized center to counter Tamaraw’s own run plays. But it just backfired as they lacked height in grabbing the boards and gave FEU the advantage to bucket second-chance points.<br /><br />As the coliseum barker announced the 2-minute warning, FEU’s lead had gone up to 17 and as the final horn was blown, the Tamaraws scored a win, 80-67 against the top-seeded Blue Eagles and forced a win-or-go-home game number 2 come Wednesday, November 23 where the winner will face the defending champions De La Salle University Green Archers.<br /><b><br /></b> <b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

FEU Tamaraws tame ADMU Blue Eagles, force do-or-die

MANILA, Philippines - Fourth-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) surprised number 1 team Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) and sent the Blu...

San Beda finishes off Lyceum, wins back-to-back NCAA titles

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines – Lyceum Pirates’ immaculate eliminations record went to the drain as San Beda Red Lions devoured them, 92-82 to win NCAA Season 93 Men’s Basketball Championship and back-to-back titles on Thursday, November 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0piR9QgvgWXf2DN3c24qT1C1x8NkwO-rt3KpxxjJIvz1xVDkAwtncok7VFC3a9_pG4QdPSHh9-wdfEFvsX1nZYDiophdq6zlCazDBlMzUNyXf1hRfSJItZlxoiJicD9wXVo3ufqvTLcmj/s1600/San-Beda-Red-Lions-Champ.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="San Beda finishes off Lyceum, wins back-to-back titles" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0piR9QgvgWXf2DN3c24qT1C1x8NkwO-rt3KpxxjJIvz1xVDkAwtncok7VFC3a9_pG4QdPSHh9-wdfEFvsX1nZYDiophdq6zlCazDBlMzUNyXf1hRfSJItZlxoiJicD9wXVo3ufqvTLcmj/s1600/San-Beda-Red-Lions-Champ.jpg" title="San Beda finishes off Lyceum, wins back-to-back titles" /></a></div><br />Just a week ago, when the two college teams collided in the <b><a href="http://pinoybuzz.blogkorner.com/2017/11/san-beda-upsets-lyceum-in-2017-ncaa-season-93-finals.html" rel="nofollow">finals primer</a></b>, San Beda’s championship experience prevailed. The defending champions rallied and silenced the Pirates.<br /><br />San Beda was in complete control of the early phase of the opening quarter with PBA-bound Davon Potts leading the way while MVP CJ Perez initiated the scoring for Lyceum with a breakaway slam dunk. Lyceum caught up with San Beda and promptly snatched the lead, 10-5.<br /><br />After a 5-minute long scoring drought, Red Lions finally broke the ice courtesy of Franz Abuda’s triple. However, Pirates still had the lead as the 1st quarter ended, 22-17.<br /><br />It was raining three points and looked like a shooting contest as both teams began the 2nd quarter. Davon Potts and Javee Mocon went against LPU team captain Jesper Ayaay.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />The fans really witnessed a very exciting ball game as the protagonists traded bodies all over the floor and fought hard for every ball possession, it was Lyceum that got most of the loose balls and offensive boards but were not able to convert them.<br /><br />CJ Perez once again made an ecstatic wide-opened dunk that pumped up the entire LPU bench. On the other hand, Davon Potts continued to wax hot from the rainbow country and kept the game close. 47-41 In favor of the Pirates after the first 20 minutes of game number 2.<br /><br />There was no slowing down for CJ Perez. The MVP had already recorded 13 points in the 1st half and added 5 quick more at the start of the third. But the Lions promptly retaliated to prevent the Pirates from breaking away.<br /><br />Midway of the 3rd period, San Beda was behind by just 2 points that alarmed Coach Topex Robinson who was also forced to call a timeout. Robinson’s cease fire however was wasted as his boys committed a turnover that paved a way for San Beda to level the score to 55-all.<br /><br />Robert Bolick who was very silent in the previous quarters made a crucial three pointer for the lead but Jesper Ayaay answered Bolick with a trey of his own to regain the lead and end the period 66-65.<br /><br />The three-point shootout carried on as the Red Lions and the Pirates unfolded the last quarter. San Beda finally managed to grab the lead 73-71 with 7 more minutes remaining in the game.<br /><br />San Beda widened the margin to 4 with under 3 minutes but Lyceum wanted to stay alive and started trailing the Lions. <br /><br />50 seconds left in the game clock and the Red Lions were up 89-82. King Lion Robert Bolick struck the Pirates with a dagger trey.<br /><br />CJ Perez who was very active in the first 3 quarters was all of a sudden became stale and went scoreless in the final quarter. Perez apparently consumed his personal fouls at the 00:36 mark and signaled the Pirates’ downfall.<br /><br />Donald Tankoua put the icing on the cake as he drained his foul shots and officially ended the series 92-82.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

San Beda finishes off Lyceum, wins back-to-back NCAA titles

MANILA, Philippines – Lyceum Pirates’ immaculate eliminations record went to the drain as San Beda Red Lions devoured them, 92-82 to win NCA...

UAAP: La Salle cuts Ateneo’s automatic finals trip

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Not so fast Blue Eagles! The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers derailed their archrivals’ automatic trip to the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball  finals and avoided a sweep as they handed Ateneo its only loss in the tournament, 79-72 on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGp75j4FCaEgQy1f6WEsFlPpKq34u7cZK4TsPqBZf7VqSYQXqJ7hJC_-l0xWBBzwmqLIN8DqQ-Mh1OCaylR-SjOoHEHWpmUmKAK8mD4A5iS6hZ4UzVQDa8DwHswYp8KD5_48GItYZXsE4s/s1600/uaap-la-salle-ateneo.JPG" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="UAAP: La Salle cuts Ateneo’s automatic finals trip" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGp75j4FCaEgQy1f6WEsFlPpKq34u7cZK4TsPqBZf7VqSYQXqJ7hJC_-l0xWBBzwmqLIN8DqQ-Mh1OCaylR-SjOoHEHWpmUmKAK8mD4A5iS6hZ4UzVQDa8DwHswYp8KD5_48GItYZXsE4s/s1600/uaap-la-salle-ateneo.JPG" title="UAAP: La Salle cuts Ateneo’s automatic finals trip" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monster numbers for Ben Mbala 28 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks and 6 steals. Photo Credit: abs-cbn.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was October 8 this year since these archrivals first met in Season 80. Both teams were separated by just a half-shot, 76-75 in favor of the Katipunan-based, Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles.<br /><br />Since the season opened, the Blue Eagles remained unbeaten. Today, the defending champions, the Green Archers tried to break the ice to prevent their arch nemesis in taking the automatic finals spot.<br /><br />The Green Archers opened the scoreboard and kept the Blue Eagles scoreless for the 1st 3 minutes.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />Midway of the 1st, the game was tied at 7-all. But Ateneo got too unlucky after its biggest player, Chibueze Ikeh was whistled for his 2nd personal foul. Backup big man Isaac Go checked in for Ikeh and  promptly scored under the basket against La Salle’s Ben Mbala.<br /><br />Another problem came up for Coach Tab Baldwin as streak shooter Jollo Go started to heat up from the rainbow country. Timely explosion of Matt Nieto from all angles of the floor provided much-needed help for Ateneo as they kept the advantage after the opening quarter, 22-17.<br /><br />Coach Aldin Ayo didn’t like the smaller Ateneo taking the lead as the first ended so he went for his big guns Ben Mbala and Abu Tratter as his starters for the 2nd period to turn the momentum to La Salle’s side.<br /><br />Coach Ayo’s decision to bring in his howitzers paid off as the Archers dominated the boards and gave Mbala 8 quick points off offensive rebounds. Despite La Salle’s full control of the shaded lane, Coach Baldwin didn’t bother to sub in Chibueze Ikeh as his 2nd string center played very well offensively.<br /><br />Without a big defender, basketball looked too easy for the Cameroon National player Ben Mbala. Mbala’s onslaught gave way for La Salle to catch up and tie the game at 30-all with over 3 minutes left in the half. Mbala however sustained a bad fall after a rebound battle but signaled that he was ok and continued to play.<br /><br />Ricci Rivero’s three pointer totally grabbed the lead from the Eagles and turnovers started to pile up for Coach Tab Baldwin and his boys. Chibueze Ikeh checked back in to stop the surging Ben Mbala. Ike’s presence didn’t make any difference for Ateneo as La Salle wrapped up the 1st half with the 37-35 lead.<br /><br />As the 3rd quarter started, Ben Mbala continued to punish Ateneo under the rim. Along with that, Chibueze Ikeh sustained his 4th personal foul and immediately relegated to the bench to preserve his last foul. <br /><br />Thirdy Ravena sensed that his team was in real deep trouble, so he stepped up and managed to retake the lead from the Archers. Ravena even sized up against Ben Mbala and duped the Cameroonian in one play. Ravena outwit Mbala on the three point lane and and got fouled. The King Eagle sank all his foul shots to widen their lead.<br /><br />Ateneo has totally regained full control of the game with the help of Matt Nieto and Jolo Mendoza. Raffy Verano somehow contained and slowed down the monster Mbala as the Eagles finished the third quarter with a 9-point, 63-54 lead.<br /><br />Blue Eagles hit the dozen lead as Chris Porter sank a trey but the Archers countered with a quick 4 points as the final quarter unfolded.<br /><br />The Archers made an 8-0 run to bring the lead down to just 2. Isaac Go unleashed a ring-less trey to extinguish the waxing hot hands of La Salle and bring Ateneo’s lead to 5 again.<br /><br />Ben Mbala was simply unstoppable in this game. With 5 more minutes left in the game, he had already posted 26 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocks. With his efforts, La Salle just trailed Ateneo by 2 points.<br /><br />At the 2-minute warning, Ateneo was protecting a 5-point thin lead. La Salle started to applied pressure defense and forced Ateneo to commit turnovers that they converted them into valuable points. <br /><br />With 1:21 remaining, the Green Archers were able to bring the lead down to just 1.  Kib Montalbo’s floater gave La Salle the advantage with 40 ticks left in the game clock.<br /><br />Ateneo had the chance to win the game with 12 seconds remaining. Isaac Go took the shot from the inbound but missed. Go then intentionally fouled Ricci Rivero to stop the clock. Rivero completed the foul shots for a 3-point lead, 79-76 and closed the eliminations with a win.<br /><br />Ateneo, despite the loss, will still cling onto the top spot and will face FEU Tamaraws in the semifinals that will start on November 18. La Salle on the other hand, will face the Adamson Falcons.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

UAAP: La Salle cuts Ateneo’s automatic finals trip

MANILA, Philippines - Not so fast Blue Eagles! The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers derailed their archrivals’ automatic trip to ...

San Beda upsets Lyceum in the 2017 NCAA Finals Primer

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Robert Bolick disrupted CJ Perez’ MVP party as the Red Lions devoured the Pirates, 94-87, to seal NCAA Finals Game 1 on Friday, November 11, 2017 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-oGnQb9spuM38Nh8U-3EHAuT1nOMPbvNPsI28f67YKM4f_YIeLHA9ySU8z0aIuamDKelve_5p4o4Yhs36F-11EO3EMsO8_iXaxZysiO2GPZP41EqNt6c_rLAU4k9o8fPfeffBs078JXH/s1600/Rob_Bolick.png" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="San Beda upsets Lyceum in the 2017 NCAA Finals Primer" border="0" class="img" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="653" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-oGnQb9spuM38Nh8U-3EHAuT1nOMPbvNPsI28f67YKM4f_YIeLHA9ySU8z0aIuamDKelve_5p4o4Yhs36F-11EO3EMsO8_iXaxZysiO2GPZP41EqNt6c_rLAU4k9o8fPfeffBs078JXH/s1600/Rob_Bolick.png" title="San Beda upsets Lyceum in the 2017 NCAA Finals Primer" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“King Lion’s” 24 points spoiled CJ Perez MVP party and gave Lyceum its first ever loss of the season. Photo Credit: Inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table>The last time that Lyceum Pirates and San Beda Red Lions faced each other, 40 minutes of game time wasn’t enough and they needed 10 more minutes to settle the score. After 2 overtimes, the Pirates swept the elimination rounds and claimed the automatic finals berth.<br /><br />Today, the 18-0 record of Lyceum was reset as they stand toe-to-toe against the fierce Red Lions for the Championship.<br /><br />The Pirates placed themselves in the attack mode as early as the game clock ticked. Led by shooting guard Jeff Santos, Lyceum got ahead of San Beda by 5. The combo of Robert Bolick and Davon Potts however, provided a decent run for the Lions to close the margin.<br /><div id="unruly-unit"></div><br />At the 2:50 mark of the first, newly crowned MVP CJ Perez drove hard to the basket but landed awkwardly on the floor and seemed to twist his ankle. Coach Topex Robinson immediately called the timeout to attend to the ailing MVP. But Perez slowly stood up and shook his foot.<br /><br />San Beda Center Donald Tanqoua flexed his muscled hard to initiate his team’s 8-2 run and snatched the lead from Lyceum as the 1st quarter ended. 22-21 in favor of the Mendiola-based squad.<br /><br />CJ Perez started the second on the bench but Lyceum still managed to regain the lead as Team Captain Jesper Ayaay and the Marcelino Twins took charge offensively. Ran Tongco however, countered and signaled the seesaw battle.<br /><br />Midway of the 2nd period, the Pirates widened their lead to a double-digit for the first time. But AC Soberano was too prompt to react and slashed the margin back to a single-digit.<br /><br />Lyceum wrapped-up the first half with a 5-point, 50-45 advantage with CJ Perez leading his team with 10 points.<br /><br />Turnovers were the key difference in the game. San Beda inadvertently committed 15 turnovers against Lyceum’s only 6. The Pirates capitalized on the Lions’ errors and converted them to 20 points.<br /><br />As the Pirates started the second half, the Marcelino twins charged and led the onslaught and posted a dozen point lead with barely 2 minutes gone by.<br /><br />San Beda made another scoring blitz and closed in with Lyceum. All of a sudden, the Pirates were forcing their shots and started to miss and transferred the momentum to their opponents. The Red Lions turned the tides, 61-60 with 3 more minutes left in the 3rd quarter.<br /><br />Lyceum barely caught up as both teams ended the penultimate quarter in a tie and the first deadlock of the game, 64-all.<br /><br />Jayvee Mocon unfolded the 4th quarter with a sure ball trey followed by Robert Bolick’s drive for an instant 5-point lead.<br /><br />The game got more interesting as CJ Perez unleashed 8 quick points for another deadlock, 72-all. <br /><br />Jayvee Mocon and Robert Bolick protected their lead as the 2-minute warning was announced. San Beda Red Lions possessed a 5-point lead under a minute remaining in the game clock.<br /><br />Robert Bolick dropped a dagger 2-pointer as the Red Lions secured a 7-point advantage with 30 more ticks left.<br /><br />Lyceum didn’t want to go down without a gallant fight and still managed to score 5 quick point in less than 10 seconds. San Beda however, was up by 2 shots with exactly 20 seconds remaining in the ballgame.<br /><br />“King Lion” Robert Bolick split his charities to add a point to the Red Lions lead while Davon Potts completed his foul shots to seal the game number 1, 94-87. <br /><br />Bolick came alive in the 4th quarter and finished the game with 24 points to win the Best Player of the game.<br /><br />The Pirates will be marching onto Game number 2 with their back against the wall while defending champions Red Lions will try to finish the series off on November 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.<br /><br /><b>— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express</b></div>

San Beda upsets Lyceum in the 2017 NCAA Finals Primer

MANILA, Philippines - Robert Bolick disrupted CJ Perez’ MVP party as the Red Lions devoured the Pirates, 94-87, to seal NCAA Finals Game 1 o...