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San Miguel is considering Quincy Miller as one of their options to reinforce them in the upcoming PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.

Miller showed brilliance in the Beermen’s loss against Taoyuan Pilots in the continuation of the East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2 last Wednesday, November 13, at the Philsports Arena.

The Baylor University product produced 32 points in the loss on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown – a better output than his debut game last month against Suwon KT Sonicboom in the opening of the regional meet as he only chipped-in eight points on 2-of-12 shooting.

Their Wednesday game caught the attention of the SMB coaches but it was not an assurance that he will be picked by the ball club to be their import in the Commissioner's Cup.

"Maybe, maybe not," said SMB deputy Peter Martin of Miller’s status as the import of the squad in the upcoming conference.

“Compared to the first game, he (Miller) showed up and we found him,” added Martin.

Miller is already familiar with the PBA brand of play as he already reinforced teams before in the said conference. He was an import for Converge in 2022 and TNT in 2023.

However, SMB is still looking at all the options available before they decide as they can also maximize the conference innovation which now features reinforcements of unlimited height.

San Miguel is also thinking of bringing back their last year's reinforcement Bennie Boatwright once he fully gets healed from his Achilles surgery.

Boatwright led the Beermen to the Promised Land last year while averaging 30.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the 13 games that he played.

National University avenged their last season loss over De La Salle University, 72-63, in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, November 13, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Lady Bulldog’s victory turned out to be sweeter than usual as they finally banished the ghost of their past, avenging their devastating defeat in the hands of the Lady Archers at the same UST venue on November 23, 2022.

Far Eastern University is the lone team standing in the way of NU’s elimination round sweep. 

If the Lady Bulldogs win, it will be their first since Season 82 in 2019, but it would be their seventh elimination round sweep in nine seasons.

"We're happy that what happened before didn't occur. Same venue, I just don't remember if it's the same jersey color, but I'm really happy because we weren't really making our shots from the outside," Lady Bulldogs head coach Aris Dimaunahan said.

"Every time we play here, we cannot find our mark in terms of shooting from beyond the arc, but there were times when we needed it the most, we shot," added the former Blackwater head coach as NU shot just 8-of -35 from deep.

San Miguel Beermen and Meralco Bolts will be returning to action when they face the visiting teams from Chinese Taipei and South Korea in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Season 2 tonight at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

The Beermen will try to get their first win of the tournament and try to redeem themselves from their opening day loss when they battle the Taoyuan Pilots of the P.League+ at 6:10 p.m.

San Miguel will continue to parade the import tandem of EJ Anosike and Quincy Miller.

Anosike, who led SMB to the semi-final round of the recently concluded PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup but lost to Barangay Ginebra, will try to lead their team once again just like what he did in their opening match-up against Suwon KT Sonicboom where he scored a team-high 34 points.

Miller, on the other hand, will try to redeem himself as he only produced eight points on 16 percent shooting from the field.

It will be another big task for the Beermen reinforcements as they will be confronted by Pilot's 7-foot import Alec Brown, who was a second round pick of the Phoenix Suns during the 2015 NBA draft, and former Trevon Graham, who played for Charlotte, Brooklyn, Minnesota, and Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the Bolts will take on the reigning Korean Basketball League champion Busan KCC Egis at 8:10 p.m.

Meralco will also exhibit a new import in Akil Mitchell as replacement for the well-loved Allen Durham.

The 36-year-old Durham decided to retire from playing after the Bolts lost to his former team Ryukyu Golden Kings on the road, 77-74.

Durham led Meralco to a quarterfinal finish in the Governors' Cup but was swept by Ginebra. He also helped the Bolts win their first assignment against the Macau Black Bears in the EASL together with fellow import DJ Kennedy but lost their second match on the road.

Now that they are back at home, Meralco is expected to form a formidable frontcourt of the 6-foot-9 Mitchell and 6-foot-6 Kennedy, together with naturalized player Ange Kouame and veteran center Raymond Almazan.

The Bolts’ towers will be a tough fortress to deal with for the Busan team as they try to enter the win column in their second game of the season.

Former NBA player Deonte Burton reinforces the KBL champions along with Leon Williams.

The 2018 KBL Import MVP, Burton dropped 35 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists in a 111-97 loss to the Black Bears in Macau last week.

Finally, Filipino-Australian sharpshooting guard Jordan Heading will bring his talent in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Heading will debut in the Season 49 Commissioner's Cup as he was acquired by Converge FiberXers via trade.

The 6-foot-2 guard was traded for Terrafirma Dyip's Aljun Melecio, Keith Zaldivar, and their future first round pick in PBA Season 51 Rookie Draft.

According to Converge assistant coach Charles Tiu, he's excited to reunite with Heading, who also became his player in international competition, including their SGA journey where they get the gold medal in the 43rd William Jones Cup.

“It feels great to be reunited with Jordan,” said Tiu in one interview.

“He’s been one of my go-to guys with Strong Group, especially during our campaigns in Dubai and the Jones Cup. Having him on the team brings a lot of confidence—he knows what it takes to win and how to make big plays when it matters,” Tiu added.

“After the Jones Cup, I was talking to him about how much I wanted to work with him again.”

“Big credit to our management and Gov. Archen Cayabyab for making the deal happen. They put in the work to bring Jordan here, and we’re all thrilled to have him join Converge,” Tiu ended.

Heading was the first overall pick of the Gilas special draft in 2020.

However, he chose to play overseas and became part of the T1 club Taiching Wagor in the 2021-22 season before coming into the B. League and later on at Nagasaki.

Meanwhile, Melecio was one of the players that former FiberXers Aldin Ayo acquired via trade and he played for Converge for two years. 

On the other hand, Zaldivar was acquired through free agency last year.

Ange Kouame will have a share in Justin Brownlee’s responsibility as Gilas naturalized player in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers on November 21 and 25 to be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Kouame has been included in the Gilas Pilipinas 15-man pool after the Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) confirmed it.

According to SBP executive director Erika Dy, Kouame will also participate in the Gilas camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba City, Laguna starting November 15.

The former Ateneo big man’s presence can ease the load out of Brownlee who has been playing non-stop basketball since the February window.

Now that Kouame is in the line-up, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone will have the option to rest Brownlee in one of the two qualifiers. 

Under the rules of FIBA, the national team must choose between the two naturalized players on who will play in each of the two games of the current window.

Dy also said that having multiple naturalized players in the first pool submitted to FIBA is allowed, until the eve of the game where a technical meeting will be held to finalize the roster.

“The night before [a game], there’s a technical meeting. You have to have only one naturalized [player],” Dy said.

Aside from Brownlee and Kouame, the other players completing the pool are June Mar Fajardo, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, Japeth Aguilar, Mason Amos, Aj Edu, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, and Scottie Thompson.

Meanwhile, Kai Sotto is also certain to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the November 21 and 25 window, despite suffering an ankle sprain in the previous game.

According to Gilas team manager Richard Del Rosario, Sotto will also be part of the Gilas training camp.

“Yes, he will join Gilas. His injury a couple of days ago was just a minor sprain,” Del Rosario said in Filipino.

Right now, Gilas Pilipinas is currently tied on top of Group B together with New Zealand which they will face on the 21st. Then, they will close the window on the 24th against Hong Kong.

'The Blur' has emerged as the Season 49 PBA Governors' Cup Finals MVP.

Jayson Castro played like a youngster once again in the Finals as he averaged 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in the series to win the award, and lead the TNT Tropang Giga to its 10th championship of the franchise.

The 38-year-old Castro's leadership was very evident in Game 6 where they finished Barangay Ginebra to capture the season-opening title. He was the one responsible in executing plays that always killed the rally of the Gin Kings, not only in the championship-clinching game but all throughout the series.

Castro's consistency made him the unanimous choice for the award handed out by the PBA Press Corps and presented by Honda, beating out teammates Calvin Oftana and Roger Pogoy.

He became the oldest player to win the coveted individual honor, surpassing Barangay Ginebra guard and close pal LA Tenorio, who was 36 years of age when he was named Finals MVP during the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble in Clark, Pampanga.

"Sobrang na-appreciate ko ito. Sa age kong ganito," said Asia's two-time best point guard about the plum that he received.

This marked the third Finals MVP for Castro, but first in 13 years or since winning the same honor during the 2010-11 Philippine Cup and 2011 Commissioner's Cup title series.

According to league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, Castro is the seventh player to win Finals MVP at least three times along with former MVPs Eric Menk and Danny Ildefonso.

There were also players who won the award four times. They were eighth-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, two-time MVP James Yap, Danny Siegel, and Tenorio.

It only takes three wins away for National University to complete an elimination sweep after edging reigning champion University of Santo Tomas, 76-70, in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, November 6, at SM Mall of Asia Arena.

With this victory, the Lady Bulldogs are now guaranteed of at least a playoff berth for a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

“Just glad that we pulled through in this one because we had a rough start, but I’m happy of how our players responded even though [UST] jumped at us early,” NU coach Aris Dimaunahan said.

“We did not lose that focus we should be having for 40 minutes and part of which, that’s why we came back early because CC got some baskets early on,” he added.

Karylle Sierba momentarily gave the Growling Tigresses hope in the third quarter after sinking a triple, 59-57. However, NU retaliated with a 13-0 blast after Cielo Pagdulagan’s inside shot in the final frame that propelled Lady Bulldogs to an 11-point advantage, 70-59, with less than 7:30 remaining.

A layup by Tacky Tacatac diminished UST’s deficit to seven, 74-67, but Angel Surada responded with layups, as well as a crucial turnover courtesy of Brigette Santos concluded Lady Bulldogs’ victory.

“I think that’s part of the challenge of how we should play the game from start to finish. Syempre, hindi perfect, but the challenge really is how well we could bounce back if there are adversities and lapses that happen, especially on the defensive side,” Dimaunahan remarked.

Camille Clarin top scored for the Lady Bulldogs with 21 points with 18 coming from the first half, to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block, while Pagdulagan scored 17 markers built from six boards, two dimes, and one rejection.

Ann Pingol contributed 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks while Surada tallied eight markers, six boards, one dime, and one rejection. 

NU’s aims to inch closer to an elimination round sweep when they clash against Adamson University on Sunday, November 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tacatac led the charge for the Growling Tigresses with 21 points, three assists, and two steals, while UAAP Season 86 Athlete of the Year Kent Pastrana added 14 markers, six boards, five dimes, one deflection, and one rejection.

UST looks to bounce back when they go up against University of the East on Saturday, November 9, at the same venue.

The Scores:

NU 76 – Clarin 21, Pagdulagan 17, Pingol 11, Surada 8, Canuto 6, Betanio 5, Fabruada 4, Cayabyab 4, Konateh 0, Villanueva 0, Solis 0, Alterado 0.

UST 70 – Tacatac 21, Pastrana 14, Maglupay 10, Santos 8, Sierba 8, Bron 4, Ambos 2, Serrano 2, N. Danganan 1, Soriano 0, Pescador 0, Relliquette 0.

The best is yet to come for the TNT Tropang Giga, because it’s one more win to go from repeating as champions of the PBA Governors’ Cup, after dominating Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday night, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, 99-72, in Game 5 of their best-of-seven Finals series.

Barangay Ginebra were shocked with the masterful performance on defense and offense by the TNT, which now have a 3-2 lead in the series. Coach Chot Reyes said that they just didn't panic and went back to their main strength in terms of their defense.

"I think that the most important thing was for us not to panic and keep our heads around us so that we could make good decisions. I think that's number one," said Reyes.

"Number two was just our focus on our strength all-tournament-long, and that was our defense," he added.

The Tropang Giga recovered from their back-to-back loss during Games 3 and 4 of the series, and now they have a chance to wrap it up in Game 6 this Friday, also at the Big Dome or perhaps in Game 7 if necessary on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. 

TNT boosted to a 23-point lead at the half highlighted by a 30-13 second quarter surge. 

Also, coach Reyes looked past Kelly Williams’ struggles and started the veteran big man for the first time in the Finals. Williams scored the first seven points in Game 5 for the defending champions and finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds to help TNT get the pivotal win.

“Kelly’s contribution to us is his defensive ability and his energy. He does a lot for us defensively that’s very important in our scheme of things. We hope he can sustain it some more for the rest of the series,” said Reyes.

“All I can say is, it’s the team, it’s the coach, it’s coach Chot. They know I’ve been struggling on and off the court. They just really rallied around me. They basically told me they believe in me and that gave me a lot of confidence and fuel to make sure I come in and focus and do whatever the team needs me to do to get a win,” said Williams.

The scores:

TNT 99 – Hollis-Jefferson 16, Pogoy 16, Oftana 15, Williams 11, Castro 10, Nambatac 7, Erram 7, Exciminiano 6, Khobuntin 4, Heruela 3, Galinato 2, Aurin 2, Payawal 0, Ebona 0, Varilla 0.

Barangay Ginebra 72 – Tenorio 13, Thompson 13, Holt 10, Brownlee 8, Abarrientos 7, J. Aguilar 6, R. Aguilar 5, Cu 5, Pessumal 4, Ahanmisi 1, Adamos 0, Pinto 0.

Quarters: 26-20; 56-33; 79-48; 99-72.

Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson set another historic NBA milestone on Friday night against the Houston Rockets when he made his 2,500th career three-pointer.

It happened at 3:59 in the 4th quarter of the game.

Thompson might have only converted on two of his nine 3-point attempts, but one of those helped him reach a historic milestone in his career.

Although the Mavericks fell short, 102-108, loss to the Rockets, dropping their record to 3-2 on the young season, and Thompson scored only 12 points in the game, he was still happy with the achievement in his NBA career.

In the loss, Thompson became also the sixth NBA player to make the most 3-pointers in league history.

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry led the way with the most 3-pointers made with 3,758, followed by Ray Allen with 2,973, James Harden was third with 2,950, Damian Lillard was fourth with 2,619 and Reggie Miller was fifth with 2,560.

Thompson was also part of the Golden State Warriors for thirteen years and won four championships, before moving to the Dallas Mavericks this NBA off-season.

The Mavs will get a couple of days' worth of rest before they host the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers in a back-to-back in the American Airlines Center.

Darius Garland scored a season-high 39 points (22 in the first half) together with eight assists to steer the Cleveland Cavaliers to match their best season start with eight straight victories.

The Cavaliers have defeated the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks, 116-114, at home. It was their second victory over the Bucks in the past three days.

It was a roller coaster in the end game as Milwaukee trailed by 19 points once during the game but after a 108 deadlock, Damian Lillard gave the Bucks a three-point lead with 1:18 seconds remaining in the game.

But Garland responded with five straight points including a 25-foot step-back triple to bring back the lead to Cavaliers, 113-111.

Then, he found his cutting teammate Jarret Allen who made his layup and gave Cleveland a four-point cushion, 115-111.

After that, Allen also contributed on the defensive end when he blocked an attempt from Lillard, and sealed the deal for the Cavaliers.

Evan Mobley produced 17 markers, while Allen had a double-double of 14 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.

Donovan Mitchell, who hit the game-winning triple in their first encounter in Milwaukee a day ago, had 14. 

Meanwhile, Lillard paced the Bucks with 36 points, while Bobby Portis contributed 21 points and 18 boards, and AJ Green got his career high 21 markers built on seven threes but their efforts were put to naught.

It was the sixth straight loss of Milwaukee this season and they now have the worst record in the East at 1-6. 

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game due to a right adductor strain. The former two-time league's MVP and one-time Finals MVP is averaging 31 points per game through Milwaukee's first six contests alongside averaging 12.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

The Cavaliers will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, November 7 (PHT), as they go for a 9-0 start, while the 1-6 Bucks will take on the 0-6 Utah Jazz on Friday, November 8 (PHT).

Far Eastern University remained hopeful as their hunt for the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball spot in the Final 4 continues with a slim 57-51 victory against University of the East on Sunday, November 3, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. 

With four games left in their Season 87 campaign, the Lady Tamaraws improved their record to 3-8 despite their 54-70 loss to defending champions UST Growling Tigresses the previous week. 

"I told them, whoever is willing to fight for the team, that's who we will use and that's who will play inside the court. In these crucial moments, these are the ones we need to really step up," Lady Tamaraws head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy said.

FEU broke away from a struggling UE side with a dominant 16-7 performance in the third quarter. It turned a slim two-point halftime lead into an 11-point cushion at 47-36 heading into the final period.

In the third quarter, FEU’s commanding 16-7 performance helped them break away from a struggling UE team. It turned a narrow two-point halftime advantage into an 11-point lead going into the final period, 47-36.

The Lady Warriors, however, were determined not to lose easily. At 49-47 with 2:08 remaining, the combined efforts of Jearzy Ganade and Malienne center Kamba Kone reduced a five-point deficit to just two.

FEU replicated their 62-56 first-round victory over UE on September 18 with a late three-pointer by Erica Lopez, a and-one floater by MJ Manguiat, and an inside basket by Maria Paras to secure their third win in ten games.

“To be honest, we are grateful that we won, but I'm not happy with the performance of our team because we set a record this season, 31 turnovers. They maximized our turnovers, but a win is a win, we will move on to our next game which is La Salle. We have to address our turnovers," Palmera-Dy added.

In addition to Lopez’s impressive all-around statline of eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Manguiat scored 22 markers, five boards, two deflections, and one dime.

Despite only delivering seven points, Shane Salvi still managed to record a game-high 10 rebounds, five assists, and one block.

Max Dela Torre contributed six markers, four boards, two dimes, and one deflection.

The Lady Tamaraws aim to bounce back from their first round loss against De La Salle University on Wednesday, November 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 

Rachel Lacayanga led the charge with 15 points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist as the Lady Warriors lost its 10th game in 11 matches. 

Kone, on the other hand, came close to tallying a double-double with 12 markers, nine boards, and one deflection.

Ganade finished with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals, contributing to the overall statline. Ronquillo contributed four rebounds, four assists, seven points, and one steal.

The Lady Warriors will attempt to snap a seven-game losing streak when they face the Growling Tigresses on Saturday, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Scores:

FEU (57) – Manguiat 22, Lopez 8, Salvani 7, Dela Torre 6, Nagma 5, Villanueva 4, Paras 4, Pasilang 1, Ong 0.

UE (49) – Lacayanga 15, Kone 12, Ganade 10, Ronquillo 7, Vacalares 5, Cruz 2, Buscar 0, Yanez 0, Dalguntas 0, Lumibao 0.

Quarter Scores: 15-18, 31-29, 47-36, 57-51

Before the Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals started, the league had given two individual awards to the players who top the show in the conference.

June Mar Fajardo of the San Miguel Beemen was named the Best Player of the Conference, while TNT Tropang Giga’s reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson received the Best Import of the Conference award.

Fajardo, collected a total of 980 points to win his 11th BIC plum and make him as the player who has the most number of citations of the award in the league’s history.

The eight-time MVP got 465 statistical points, and garnered 476 media votes and 48 player votes to surpass teammate CJ Perez, Ginebra stars Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson, Northport’s Arvin Tolentino and NLEX’s Robert Bolick.

Fajardo said that he didn't expect that he would win another recognition such as this but he's thankful that he received one more and he considered it as a blessing.

"I didn't expect this. I was in Cebu. I'm happy that I got this award. This is a blessing. I'm thankful to everyone - my teammates, coaches, fellow players. Thank you to all of them, I got this award," said Fajardo in Filipino.

The Pinamungajan, Cebu native was also appreciated by fans and looked up to by many because he remained humble in spite of being successful in almost all aspects of life.

"In my mind, I haven't achieved anything yet. That's why I always push myself to strive. It has never occurred to me to think about the awards. I keep them, I cherish them but all of those achievements never crossed my mind," he added.

Meanwhile, Hollis-Jefferson won his second Best Import citation in the same conference.

RHJ led the statistical race with 1,221 total points (663 SPs, 491 media votes, and 67 player votes).

It’s now down to virtually best-of-three.

Barangay Ginebra outshined the TNT Tropang Giga, 106-92, last night, November 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to tie their best-of-seven finals series at 2-2.

Justin Brownlee steered his team with 34 points. He set the tone early for Ginebra as he poured 15 markers in the first quarter of the play.

Brownlee also found his groove at the three-point arc as he sank his first triple of the Finals, and finished with three. He also added two four-pointers in the game.

“Justin is usually a very good starter, especially in big games. He knows how important he is to set the tempo and to give confidence to his teammates," said Cone of Brownlee.

Stephen Holt, who was under the weather in their first two games, finally found his rhythm by producing 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and five steals to get the player of the game honors. He also tightly guarded TNT’s import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

“In terms of our offense, we just kept making big shots when we needed to. We’ve been doing that pretty much all conference long. It seems like when the team started to make a run at us, somebody hits a big shot. Stephen was the one making those big shots, Maverick hit that big four, Justin had one. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve been hitting the big shots when it counts,” Cone said about the all-around effort of his team.

Japeth Aguilar, Maverick Ahanmisi and Scottie Thompson all scored in double digits to help the Gin Kings get their second straight series win after being down 0-2.

Aguilar finished with 18 markers and was brilliant with his power slams, while Ahanmisi scored the same number of points and was on fire from beyond the two arcs.

Thompson performed well again by contributing 12 points while getting rebounds empathically to wow the more than 16,000 crowd in attendance. He also made a milestone when he grabbed his first board of the game as his 2,000th career defensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hollis-Jefferson paced the Tropang Giga with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was earlier awarded his second Best Import of the Conference plum, while San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo added Best Player of the Conference in his collection as he won his 11th.

Calvin Otana and Rey Nambatac helped carry the load from their hardworking import RHJ to keep themselves in the game within striking distance.

Oftana tallied a total of 26 — 20 in the first half — but his touches were limited in the second half of play. He also grabbed six rebounds and recorded one assist, one steal, and a block.

Nambatac, the Tropang Giga’s hero in Game 1, who struggled in Games 2 and 3, got back on track by scoring 15 markers, grabbing five boards and dishing off two dimes.

The two teams will break the tie in Game 5 on Wednesday, November 6, still at the Big Dome.

The Scores:

GINEBRA 106 – Brownlee 34, Ahanmisi 18, J.Aguilar 18, Holt 18, Thompson 12, Abarrientos 5, Devance 1, Tenorio 0, Cu 0, Pinto 0.

TNT 92 – Hollis-Jefferson 28, Oftana 26, Nambatac 15, Castro 9, Pogoy 9, Erram 3, Aurin 2, Heruela 0, Khobuntin 0, Williams 0.

Quarter Scores: 30-25, 54-42, 85-77, 106-92.

National University defeated University of the Philippines, 64-59, after a thrilling comeback spearheaded by Camille Clarin, who nailed a clutch three-pointer in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Sunday night, November 3, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Despite having just three points going into the fourth quarter, Clarin scored 13 points in the last quarter including draining four three-pointers and a free throw to overcome the Lady Bulldogs from a 44-48 deficit.

The veteran guard produced 16 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds for an all-around performance.

“It was a timely hit by CC late in the fourth. Credit to her because she made four three-point shots in the game. Her first seven attempts failed, but she didn’t lose focus or confidence to take the shot when it mattered the most,” said NU head coach Aris Dimaunahan.

Clarin coordinated a 16-2 run with teammates Maymay Canuto, Tin Cayabyab, Angel Surada, and Jainaba Konateh to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead, 60-50, with 5:41 remaining.

However, the Fighting Maroons did not falter as Kaye Pesquera of UP answered with a 9-0 blast on her own to inch within one, 59-60.

After a series of missed baskets, Clarin drained another three-pointer of the quarter to propel NU to a 63-59 advantage. 

The Lady Bulldogs will aim to keep their record flawless as they face UAAP Season 86 defending champion University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, November 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Ann Pingol also supplemented 14 markers, while Cielo Pagdulagan and Surada contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lady Bulldogs.

Pesquera was the lone Fighting Maroon in double digits with 16 markers as UP dropped their record to 3-8, in a risk of missing a spot in the Final 4.

The Fighting Maroons will attempt to keep their slim hopes alive when they get to play against De La Salle University on Sunday, November 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Scores: 

NU 64 – Clarin 16, Pingol 14, Pagdulagan 11, Surada 10, Cayabyab 7, Konateh 4, Canuto 1, Betanio 1, Fabruada 0, Solis 0, Villanueva 0.

UP 59 – Pesquera 16, Ozar 9, Bariquit 6, Maw 6, Tapawan 4, Sauz 4, Nolasco 4, Vingno 3, Jimenez 3, Solitario 2, Lozada 2, Quinquinio 0, Barba 0.

Quarter Scores: 8-17, 25-29, 44-48, 64-59.

The University of the Philippines has dominated their Katipunan rival, Ateneo de Manila University, by 28 points to sweep their Season 87 match-up, 74-47, on Wednesday, October 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Francis Lopez led the Fighting Maroons with 20 points coming off the bench. He shot an efficient 7-of-9 from the field, to go along with five rebounds.

Nine of Lopez' points came from the third period when UP had a 15-0 run to take a 54-28 lead and kept Ateneo scoreless until the 4:28 mark of the period.

Quentin Millora-Brown produced another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, leading the State U in winning the battle of the boards too, 51 to 42.

Meanwhile, no one from Ateneo scored in double-figures, with Chris Koon leading their pack with nine markers.

The blowout victory by the Fighting Maroons set the biggest losing margin of the Blue Eagles under coach Tab Baldwin's seven-year tenure.

UP improved its record to 9-1 slate after winning three straight wins, while Ateneo fell down to 3-8, losing back-to-back games and in the brink of losing their postseason chances.

The Scores:

UP 75 – Lopez 20, Millora-Brown 11, Bayla 8, Stevens 7, Torres 7, Abadiano 6, Fortea 5, Belmonte 5, Alarcon 4, Cagulangan 2, Felicilda 0, Briones 0, Torculas 0, Ududo 0, Alter 0, Walker 0.

ATENEO 47 – Koon 9, Tuano 8, Bongo 7, Bahay 6, Porter 4, Balogun 4, Espina 3, Lazaro 2, Espinosa 2, Dela Cruz 2, Quitevis 0, Reyes 0, Gamber 0, Asoro 0, Edu 0.

Quarters: 17-15, 39-28, 66-40, 75-47.