All news and events in the world of basketball

Barangay Ginebra and Blackwater will face each other in a rematch during the second round of PBA Season 49 Governor’s Cup elimination round.

Both teams are targeting their fourth win of the conference when they clash tonight in the main event of the double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In their first meeting, the Bossing stunned the Gin Kings 95-88 during the debut game of George King and gave the team their first win of the season after failing their first three.

King, a former NBA player who wore Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks jerseys, tallied 33 points and collared 19 rebounds in that battle. Since he reinforced Blackwater, they were on a roll recording a three-game win streak. They have defeated the winless Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 123-11, and the NLEX Road Warriors, 110-109.

"We're fortunate to have won the last three games but we feel like our backs are still against the wall and we need to keep pushing," said Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso.

On the Ginebra side, they wanted to avenge their loss against King and the Bossing. The Gin Kings are also on a roll right now with a two-game winning streak after defeating Road Warriors, 119-91, then the Fuel Masters, 110-101. 

“It’s a big game for both of us opening up the second round,” said Ginebra tactician Tim Cone as he tasked Justin Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar and the rest of the gang to be at their best in the rematch.

In Group B, the teams are closely bunched together led by Rain or Shine with 4-1, then Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer with identical 3-2, closely behind them are Blackwater and NLEX with 3-3 slate, while Phoenix is left behind with 0-5.

Reigning UAAP MVP Kevin Quimbao leads the De La Salle Green Archers to defeat the National University Bulldogs in their toe-to-toe battle, 78-75 in the opening game of the UAAP Season 87 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers superstar scored nine of his 22 points in the clutch including the winning triple with 9.8 seconds left that basically ended the game.

“What we want didn’t click, I just pointed to myself that I need to take over and there’s a guy that we need to rely on,” said Quiambao, who also collared eight rebounds, and seven assists.

DLSU head coach Topex Robinson was also on high about his prized 6’7” forward.

“That’s the beauty about having him. He will always make the right decisions. He even said that put the blame on him no matter what,” Coach Topex said.

True enough to his words, KQ led the Green Archers comeback from a 71-64 deficit and spearheaded the 14-4 run to end the game.

The Scores:

LA SALLE 78 – Quiambao 22, M. Phillips 12, Gollena 10, Abadam 8, Ramiro 6, Gonzales 6, Macalalag 5, David 4, Agunanne 2, Dungo 2, Marasigan 1, Konov 0.

NU 75 – Figueroa 15, Palacielo 15, Manansala 10, Padrones 7, Jumamoy 6, Francisco 6, Enriquez 4, Yu 2, Garcia 2, Lim 2, Perciano 2, Santiago 2, Dela Cruz 2, Diassana 0.

Quarters: 23-18, 45-45, 60-65, 78-75.

JuneMar Fajardo scored another highlight for his illustrious career as he sank a buzzer-beating jumper to lead San Miguel Beermen in giving Rain or Shine Elasto Painters their first loss of the season, 113-112 on Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

SMB was in trouble when Chris Ross fouled Felix Lemetti at the four-point area and the Rain or Shine rookie made all his free throws to give the Elasto Painters a one-point lead.

Then, the heroics of the 8x MVP came when he sprinted down the court, received the forward pass from CJ Perez, and drained the game-winner.

"Tsamba na lang yon (it’s just a lucky shot)," said Fajardo of his game-winning 12-footer, foiling the Elasto Painters' sweep bid in the first round of the PBA Governors Cup eliminations.

"Dying seconds, kailangan itira. Mabuti pumasok (Dying seconds, need to take the shot. good thing it went in)," added Fajardo, saving the Beermen from what could have been a sorry loss in the game they set the pace most of the way.

Beside the final shot at the buzzer, “The Kraken” produced another monster game with 27 points and 19 rebounds to lift the Beermen to a 3-2, tied for the second spot with NLEX in Group B.

JMF’s winning moment also preserved the 41 points tallied by SMB’s import Jordan Adams who also made a crucial jumper during their see-saw battle at the closing minutes of the game.

Even though Rain or Shine suffered their first loss of the conference, Coach Yeng Guiao still managed to smile as his team almost stole the game from the mighty Beermen.

The Filipino-Swedish rookie Lemetti led the Elasto Painters with 28 points highlighted by 5-of-6 three-pointers, 1-of-1 from four-point area, and his final four freebies that almost sealed the game.

Aaron Fuller continued to be consistent and played big with his 24 markers and 18 boards.

The scores:

San Miguel 113 – Adams 41, Fajardo 27, Perez 10, Cruz 10, Trollano 9, Lassiter 6, Tautuaa 4, Romeo 4, Rosales 2, Ross 0.

Rain or Shine 112 – Lemetti 28, Fuller 24, Nocum 21, Mamuyac 12, Datu 10, Caracut 6, Clarito 4, Santillan 3, Belga 2, Norwood 2.

QUARTERS: 33-28 , 55-53, 86-80, 113-112.

The TNT Tropang Giga claimed a share of leading the Group A after overpowering the still winless Terrafirma Dyip, 107-89 in their match last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson just shook off a nagging ankle injury to lead TNT in their win as he registered 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.

"There was some pain, but they told me that nothing's broke or anything like that. I've played through pain my entire life so strap 'em up and let's go,” said Hollis-Jefferson.

The local unit backed RHJ up in powerful fashion, as five other players scored in double digits: Roger Pogoy & Poy Erram scored 14 each, while Kim Aurin logged in 13. Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac both racked up 10 markers apiece.

Tropang Giga still missed the services of Kelly Williams, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Henry Galinato, and recently Calvin Oftano who’s alway been a vital piece in their recent victories.

Terrafirma itself was short-handed with Juami Tiongson out with a partial tear on his left hamstring, while Kenmark was sidelined by a groin injury.

Despite the Dyip injuries woes and dropping their fifth straight game, they still managed to fight a good fight for the majority of the game and even staying within 80-85 after falling behind by as much as 10 in the opening frame.

Import Antonio Hester finally found his groove as he notched 23 points and grabbed 18 boards, after just registering 2 points in their last game.

Christian Standhardinger registered his own double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Stanley Pringle was just limited to 12 points, though he also hauled down 12 rebounds.

The scores:

TNT 107 – Hollis-Jefferson 26, Erram 14, Pogoy 14, Aurin 13, Nambatac 10, Castro 10, Exciminiano 7, Khobuntin 7, Payawal 3, Heruela 3, Vosotros 0, Ebona 0.

Terrafirma 89 – Hester 23, Standhardinger 18, Ferrer 13, Hernandez 13, Pringle 12, Cahilig 3, Hanapi 3, Ramos 2, Sangalang 2, Grospe 0, Olivario 0.

Quarters: 30-22; 55-49; 76-68; 107-89.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are trying to paint a perfect slate in the first round of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ cup elimination round when they face the San Miguel Beermen in the main game of the Thursday double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

In their previous game last Friday, the Elasto Painters got their 4-0 record when they dominated the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 116-99.

Rain or Shine is the only team right now with an unblemished record in the conference and they are determined to remain perfect in the first round.

“The other teams are just getting their groove as they prepared late in the pre-season. You will just see their true potential in the middle of the eliminations and towards the end,” said ROS coach Yeng Guiao in Filipino.

“It’s just beautiful to see that you are winning,” added Guiao. “All of these (wins) are temporary. We’re hoping we can stretch our win as much as we can. What we are targeting is six wins. We believe that if you get six wins, you’ll be safe to enter the next round.”

Renewed Hotshots win second win in a row

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots survived the grit of the import-less NorthPort Batang Pier, 105-94, to register their third win in five outings of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup last night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Sophomore Zavier Lucero played his best game so far in a Magnolia uniform against his former team that also drafted him. He was then traded to the Hotshots in the off-season in exchange for Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter.

Lucero lodged 16 points and 12 rebounds to earn the player of the game honors.

Hotshots import Glenn Robinson III registered a game-high 25 points and collected 11 rebounds, while Paul Lee added 20 markers, 11 assists and five boards, to enlist three Magnolia players with double-double performance.

Calvin Abueva and Jerrick Ahanmisi also produced double digit numbers by scoring 10 apiece.

On the opposite end, Cade Flores led NorthPort with his own double-double by producing 23 points and 10 rebounds to fill the void that import Venky Jois and William Navarro left as they sat out of the game due to ankle injuries.

Batang Pier star Arvin Tolentino who just scored 51 games two games prior, was just limited to 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field, though he grabbed 12 rebounds to become the fifth player to have a double-double in the contest.

The Meralco Bolts are now leading the pack in Group A of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup after dominating the Converge FiberXers, 116-88 yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Meralco, now with a 4-1 record, still played superb even though not yet in full force as key players like Cliff Hodge, Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan, and Aaron Black did not play due to injuries.

Allen Durham led the Bolts with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, while Chris Banchero finished with 24 points, 12 of which came from the second quarter alone.

They also received solid contributions from the likes of Anjo Caram and Alvin Pasaol in the blowout win. Caram had a total of 16 points (11 in the 3rd canto), while Pasaol had 12 markers, 10 of which came in the 2nd half where Meralco led by as much as 30 points.

The FiberXers suffered their third defeat in five games while playing without starting center Justin Arana who sprained his ankle in their previous game. They also lost their back-up center Patrick Maagdenberg during the game when he sustained a knee injury during the game.

Scotty Hopson, who’s been consistent since he reinforced Converge tallied 33 points, grabbed six rebounds and six assists to lead the FiberXers. Alec Stockton and JL delos Santos added 13 and 12 respectively but not enough to bring back the team to life.

The Scores :

MERALCO 116 - Durham 27, Banchero 24, Caram 16, Pasaol 12, Mendoza 10, Cansino 6, Newsom 5, Quinto 5, Jose 5, Rios 3, Bates 2, pascual 1.

CONVERGE 88 - Hopson 33, Stockton 13, Delos Santos 12, AMbohot 10, Santos 8, Winston 5, Maagdenberg 4, Andrade 3, Fleming 0, Racal 0, Nieto 0, Caralipio 0, Melecio 0, Fornilos 0, Cabagnot 0.

QUARTERS: 26-32, 53-50, 86-73, 116-88.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots and NorthPort Batang Pier will try to finish the first round of the double-round eliminations of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup with a 3-2 slate when they face each other on Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The winner of the game will be over the 0.500 mark while the defeated team will have a record of 2-3 in Group A. The Hotshots and Batang Pier were grouped with TNT Tropang Giga, Meralco Bolts, Converge FiberXers and Terrafirma Dyip.

After the game, the two teams will be on their way to the 2nd round robin which will start on Saturday, when the Hotshots face the Bolts in Panabo City.

Barangay Ginebra walloped NLEX, 119-91, on Tuesday to get back on winning track in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Coming from a 95-88 upset by Blackwater, Ginebra fired on all cylinders in the first half with a 60-percent clip from the field and ended it with a 63-41 lead.

Stephen Holt played his best game as a Gin King, leading the team in scoring with 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing off six assists.

Maverick Ahanmisi added 20 markers for the team while Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos also played their best game for the conference by producing 19 points each in helping the Gin Kings evened their record at 2-2 in Group B.

Resident import Justine Brownlee put up only 13 markers in 38 minutes of play but still grabbed seven boards and dished nine dimes.

"I thought we played a really good tempo. The other guys outside Justin Brownlee played aggressively and looked for their shot, and they took some pressure off Justin," said Cone.

"I also thought NLEX's a little tired from their out-of-town game where they won in overtime," the Ginebra coach added.

Meanwhile, NLEX couldn't keep up with the searing pace set by the Gin Kings, suffering a blowout four days after a 112-108 shock overtime win over the San Miguel Beermen in Cagayan de Oro.

NLEX main man Robert Bolick still managed to fire away 19 points, five rebounds, and seven assists while Myke Henry was limited to only 16 points but still collared eight rebounds and registered seven assists. Henry also committed seven turnovers that might be a result of fatigue and Gin Kings suffocating defense against him.

Robbie Herdon added 15 while Dominick Fajardo registered 14 and Jhan Nermal 10 for the Road Warriors.

Blackwater Bossing let two of its prized players explode into double-double performances to pick up a much-needed second win against Phoenix Super LPG in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.

George King led a regal performance of 44 points, while Sedrick Barefield added 32 more markers to give Blackwater the dub Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After delivering a 33-point, 19-rebound performance in his PBA debut against Barangay Ginebra last Frida, King made another impactful game as he exploded for his second double-double scoring 44 and grabbing 13 boards for the Bossing, which lead as much as 19.

The local unit of Blackwater was led again by their top rookie Sedrick Barefield who hit a three-pointer at the final 1:10 mark of the game to seal the win for the Bossing, and marked the victory with another ‘night night’ gesture.

RK Ilagan and Troy Rosario helped out also in the offensive end, scoring 14 and 12 respectively. Ilagan also added five boards and the same number of dimes to his name.

"We knew that their new import was gonna come in and give them some life, give them some motivation, the same way George did for us. So we were expecting them to be ready and be good and they were," said Blackwater coach Jeffrey Cariaso.

"I think what happened there was, also George King," Cariaso pointed out. "You know, him stepping up and matching not just the points and all the numbers that Francis brought, but he matched the energy, he matched the defending and all the things we talked about at practice as part of our team."

On the Phoenix side, debuting import Brandone Francis made an impact immediately for the team as he registered 45 points, together with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jason Perkins led the Fuel Masters locals with his conference-best 29 points on top of eight boards but there were no other players from the team who scored white than eight points.

The University of the Philippines will be left with a significant hole when the UAAP Season 87 begins with one of their top guns set to miss out the entire women’s basketball tournament.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Favour Onoh will sit out her supposed sophomore season as she continues to recover from injuries to both knees. 

The UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development confirmed the development on Tuesday, September 3, signifying that they are keeping an eye on Onoh’s complete recovery instead of constraining her to join the team in pursuit to end a four-decade title drought.

The Fighting Maroons hoped Onoh’s return would have been possible even in the later schedule, but their camp ultimately decided to do what’s best for the young hooper’s career.

“We don’t want to insist on putting her in the line up, then if she is not at full-strength, her one playing year would only be wasted,” said head coach Paul Ramos.

Last season, the 6-foot-4 Nigerian center displayed an outstanding debut tallying impressive per-game statistics of 11 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. 

The Diliman-based female hoopers will now look to key players like Achrissa Maw and Shanina Tapawan to hold down the fort with Kaye Pesquera, Christie Bariquit, and Filipino-Australian Alex Mendoza also joining in the roster. 

On the other hand, Gilas Women Camille Nolasco and Louna Ozar have been cleared from their national duties and will be ready for action right away.

With Onoh sidelined, the Fighting Maroons are determined to replicate their Season 86 magic without their top anchor and are dead set on making another breakthrough in the UAAP. 

Phoenix Fuel Masters tapped the services of the dead-shot wingman from the Dominican Republic Brandone Francis to be their replacement import in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.

Francis will begin his PBA journey when Phoenix faces the George King and the Blackwater Bossing on September 3 in the first game of the doubleheader at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The longtime import for Prawira Harum Bandung in the Indonesia Basketball League or IBL who helped the team win a title last year, will replace Jayveous McKinnis as the Fuel Masters reinforcement.

Supposedly, Le’Bryan Nash will be the one to replace McKinnis but he was ruled ineligible as he went over the 6-foot-6 height limit. He was measured 6’6” ⅜ by the league.

Francis in town was listed 6-foot-4 in the IBL, the reason why Phoenix team is confident that he will make the cut even though he will just be measured at the PBA office a few hours before their 5:00 pm game.

The new import might be familiar with some of the PBA’s current young guns as the now 29-year-old Dominican guard played against Gilas Pilipinas in the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Serbia.

Now, the Dominican Republic men’s team stalwart is joining a Fuel Masters side hoping to get its first win of the conference as it is currently 0-3 in Group B.

Meralco Bolts bank on a huge third-quarter tear to rip NorthPort Batang Pier, 109-99, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday night, September 1.

Import Allen Durham hulked a near triple-double performance spiked by his 19 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter where the Bolts pulled away from the Batang Pier for good. He added 15 rebounds and nine assists to lead Meralco in a joint Group A lead with TNT Tropang Texters at 3-1.

Chris Banchero put up 23, Bong Quinto chipped in 18, including a team-leading 14 in the first half, while Anjo Caram contributed 10, all in the third canto.

On the defensive end, the Bolts limited Arvin Tolentino to 21 after exploding for a career-high 51 in their last game in a follow-up to a near triple double in a previous outing.

The Bolts also did a good job on NorthPort import Venky Jois whom they bounded to just six points, five rebounds and three assists with two turnovers.

William Navarro and Joshua Munzon contributed 18 and 16, respectively for the Batang Pier who fell to an even 2-2 record as their two-game winning run was snapped.

Jerrick Ahanmisi scored a career-best 24 points to lead the Magnolia Hotshots’ overwhelming win over Terrafirma Dyip, 124-104, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Magnolia went back to their identity as a defensive team and even led as much as 60-22 in the second quarter.

Ahanmisi's career game was highlighted by his four 4-pointers and two 3-pointers, where his 10 of 24 markers in the second period fueled their breakaway to erect a 63-32 lead at the half.

Before Ahanmisi’s explosion, Hotshots import Glenn Robinson III made his presence felt early in the game and finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds despite dealing with food poisoning on the eve of the match.

Zavier Lucero, Ian Sangalang, Paul Lee and Joseph Eriobu each finished with at least 12 markers to back up Ahanmi’s impressive performance.

The performance pleased Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero even though the Hotshots seemed to relax in the second half where they allowed the Dyip to score more than 30 per quarter.

"I told them before, in our preparations, that all our failures, 'our setbacks, what is important is on how we bounce back," said Victolero.

We did very well. We started very strong, we played on our pace and I think we got to dictate our defense right away and it impacted the whole team," he added.

"Maybe we just relaxed a little bit that’s that's why they scored more than 30 points per quarter in the second half," Victolero ended.

On the other hand, Stanley Pringle scored 23 markers for Terrafirma while fellow former Barangay Ginebra player Christian Standhardinger had his best game for his new team producing 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Unfortunately for the Dyip, Juami Tiongson, Kemark Carino and Antonio Hester suffered injuries that kept them out of action in the entire second half.

Rookie Paolo Hernandez tried to fill the slack for the three as he recorded his own career-high 18 points anchored on a 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, but not enough to match the balance attack of the Hotshots.

The Scores :

MAGNOLIA 124 - Ahanmisi 24, Robinson III 20, Lucero 15, Sangalang 14, Lee 13, Eriobu 12, Balanza 7, Barroca 6, Laput 6, Dionisio 4, Abueva 3, Mendoza 0, Reavis 0, Dela Rosa 0, Alfaro 0.

TERRAFIRMA 103 - Pringle 23, Standhardinger 22, Hernandez 18, Sangalang 9, Ramos 9, Ferrer 7, Hanapi 7, Cahilig 6, Hester 2, Tiongson 0, Olivario 0, Carino 0.

QUARTERS: 34-13, 63-32, 86-64, 124-103.

NLEX dug deep and drew extra mileage from its support crew to beat San Miguel in overtime, 122-108, at the Aquilino Pimentel International Convention Center in Cagayan De Oro City on Saturday night, August 31.

The Road Warriors claimed their third win in four outings after relying on clutch plays from their shock troopers together with their import Myke Henry and top star Robert Bolick.

Henry still delivered his usual numbers by producing 33 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks while Bolick added 20 markers including two crucial free throws that led to a four-point cushion to the last 13.8 seconds of the extra period.

But the shock troopers provided the big difference in NLEX bounce back win after succumbing to Rain or Shine, 105-124, in their last outing. The Road Warriors now improved to 3-1 in the standings.

Mike Miranda, more known as an enforcer, contributed 17 points and showcased his long-range shooting skills especially in the fourth quarter when hit a pair of three-pointers, including a four-ball that gave the Road Warriors a 96-93 cushion, with 2:16 left in the fourth.

Jonnel Policarpo added 12 points, while Jhan Nermal produced 10 and started the OT with a clutch three-point play off a foul from Marcio Lassiter.

Richie Rodger only had six points but he made his last two field goals in overtime where he had a couple of getaway layups, while Robbie Herdon chipped in 10 including a triple that led to a 110-106 advantage with 28.2 seconds remaining in the game.

SMB pulled back to within two on June Mar Fajardo's undergoal stab but Bolick brought back up to four from the stripe.

The Beermen tried to send it to a second OT but back-to-back misses from the four-point arc by CJ Perez and Chris Ross in the final 13.8 ticks enabled NLEX to complete what it failed to do back in regulation.

The Beermen, who got 36 from Jordan Adams, 29 from Perez and 19 from Fajardo, fell to back-to-back losses after a 2-0 start.