The Mavericks defeated Utah Jazz, 110-102, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas in their October 29 game.

Kyrie Irving put up 23 points while Klay Thompson added 18 to lead Dallas to victory, on a night that Mavericks star Luka Doncic had an off night. Doncic still managed to score 15 markers, along with nine rebounds and eight assists.

Irving remained scoreless until hitting two triples in the final 40 seconds of the first period and he finished shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Thompson fired 4-of-11 from downtown, while Doncic was just 5-of-22 from the field and hit his only 3-pointer in nine tries with 2:34 remaining in the game.

The win gave the defending Western Conference champions their second victory of the season in three games.

Meanwhile, Collin Sexton led Utah with 23 points and Lauri Markkanen and Keonte George added 17 each for the Jazz, who have lost their first three games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Both teams will be back on the hardcourt tomorrow, October 30, when Utah hosts the Sacramento Kings, while the Mavericks visit the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

11,021 fans attended Game 1 of the PBA 49th Season Governors' Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Giga to set the new record as the league's largest crowd on Sunday night, October 27, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The Sunday crowd in Antipolo was also the biggest so far in the conference. Other games were held at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Ninoy Aquino Stadium, and Philsports Arena.

Even after the 7:30 p.m. tipoff, fans were still entering the venue.

The Game 1 of the series was also for a cause as the proceeds of the game will go to the victims of Typhoon Kristine. 

The record-setting crowd surpassed the previous high of 10,952 at the Ynares Center. It was set on December 21, 2021 during the doubleheader quarterfinals of the 2011-12 Philippine Cup that featured the Barangay Ginebra-Rain or Shine matchup and Petron-Meralco battle.

TNT dominated Ginebra in the series opener, 104-88, with Rey Nambatac putting up impressive numbers in his Finals debut tallying a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with seven assists.

Game 2 of the Finals will be held on Wednesday, October 30, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Los Angeles Lakers manage to hold on to their lead in the end game to get their opening night match-up victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-103, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

From the beginning, the Lakers showed their might in the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rui Hachimura led the team with a strong start.

Davis finished the game with 36 points and 16 rebounds, while James put up 16 markers and Hachimura added 18.

Los Angeles also pounded the paint with a 72-40 advantage to show their dominance in the game where they led by as much as 19 points. 

It was also a historic night for the league as LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son duo who has ever played together in an NBA game.

According to LeBron, family is the reason why he wanted that feat to happen.

"It's always been family over everything. For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league and committing to this league. Being on the road at times, missing a lot of his things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things, so to be able to have this moment where I'm working still and I can work alongside my son, it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten from the man above and I'm going to take full advantage of it," LBJ said.

Lebron and Bronny played together for more than two minutes in the latter part of the first quarter. It was also Bronny's debut game in the NBA.

The younger James shared that he's happy that he was given an opportunity to be part of the league and had a chance to be teammates with his father.

"I'm just extremely grateful for everything. I was given an amazing opportunity to come in this league and get better every day and learn every day," said Bronny.

Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Newly-acquired Wolves Julius Randle added 16 markers and nine boards, while the other new member of Minnesota Donte DiVicenzo put up 10 points.

The Timberwolves will face Sacramento Kings on Friday, October 25, (PHT), while the Lakers will battle Phoenix Suns on Friday (PHT) as well.

Boston Celtics started their title-defense with a bang by dominating the New York Knicks, 132-109, in the opening night of the NBA's 2024-2025 Season.

It was also the night that the Celtics received their championship rings and the franchise's 18th banner was raised in the rafters of the TD Garden in Boston.

But before that, Jayson Tatum grabbed a microphone to say a few words that pumped-up the crowd.

“Enjoy this moment together. Let’s do it again,” he uttered.

Tatum was also the first to score in the game with a triple and finished with an astounding 8/11 from deep to set the tone for the Celtics to tie the most-three points made by a team in a game with 29. A record set by the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2020.

Boston shot 47.5 (29/61) percent from downtown to toppled the 36.17 (11/30) of the Knicks.

JT also led the team with his game-high 37 points, along with 10 assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block. He also had a game-high of +26.

The Celtics led by as much as 35 in the middle of the fourth period to make the game almost unreachable already. They also led in the rebounding and assisting departments. They only turn the ball over thrice against the 11 of New York.

Jalen Brown and Jrue Holiday scored 23 points each for Boston, while Derrick White and Luke Cornet added 21 and 14, respectively.

Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride led the Knicks with 22 markers each but have a combined -41 also.

Newly acquired big man Karl Anthony-Towns contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists in his new team.

The next two games of the Celtics will still be on the road. They will face the Wizards on October 25 (PHT) in Washington and against the Pistons on Sunday, October 27, in Detroit.

The Knicks will try to bounce back at home at the Madison Square Garden in New York when they battle the Indiana Pacers also on Sunday, October 27.

The Pinoyliga Cup is offering a chance for the seldom-used hoopers or players who want to be included in Team A of their respective collegiate teams, a concept that began in Next Man Cup in 2002 after the inauguration of the Collegiate Cup the year before.

Tournament director Benny Benitez told the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum that they are in their third season already and the focus of this tournament are the Team B college players.

“There has to be a refresh for the concept, this is where we, Pinoyliga, come in,” said Benitez on Tuesday, October 22, at the conference hall of Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Benitez also added that all the milestones of a Filipino basketball player came from the foundation that they have established, insinuating that the Pinoyliga also promotes inclusivity as they welcome other teams from other leagues such as NAASCU, NCRAA, and CESAFI.

“We started with the Alumni Cup, and eventually, we built the Collegiate Cup, then we added the Next Man Cup, then we also have the Juniors’ Cup.”

The current tournaments of Pinoyliga are the Alumni Cup and Juniors Cup, which commenced earlier this month, where NCAA junior’s champion Letran Squires and UAAP junior’s title-holder Adamson Baby Falcons are leading the participating teams.

Meanwhile, the Alumni Cup is now on its fifth season with the UE Red Warriors striving to claim its third straight title in the 40-above category, while the Mapua Cardinals will try to keep its championship in reach in the 30-above division.

Benitez also mentioned that the Next Man Cup will get underway in late November, where at least 10 to 14 squads are expected to take part including reigning champion College of St. Benilde. 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) 2024-2025 regular season starts today, October 23 (PHT).

Four teams are set to battle in the season opener. Two from the Eastern Conference and two from the Western Conference.

In the Eastern side, defending 2024 NBA champions Boston Celtics will take on the New York Knicks, while the Western camp features Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The Celtics will try to start their title-defense strong when they face the newly-reformed Knicks which recently acquired All-Star big man Karl Anthony Towns from the Wolves.

Meanwhile, the Lakers will still be led by the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Minnesota that entered the Western Conference Finals last season but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. The Timberwolves also defeated their former main guy KAT via trade.

Their match-up could feature the father-son duo of LeBron and Bronny James for the first time.

The regular season will be until April 13, 2025. Each team has 82 games to play in it before the playoff begins on April 19, 2025.

All Star Weekend is scheduled on February 14-16, 2025.

And 'The Finals' is set to begin on June 5, 2025.

JM Bravo of the Lyceum of the Philippine University has been discharged from the Cardinal Santos Medical Center on Monday afternoon, October 21, after suffering a freak accident during their game against Arellano University in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament.

Bravo was cleared of any serious injuries after undergoing CT (Computed Tomography) scan and EEG (Electroencephalogram) but the doctors advised the 23-year-old forward to refrain from physical activities for the next three days as he will be under close monitoring.

And that means he will miss their crucial game against the College of Saint Benilde on Wednesday, October 23, as part of his recovery protocol.

The incident happened in the final eight seconds of their Saturday's game against the Chiefs when he went for a loose ball but crashed his chin to the back of the head of Arellano's Renzo Abiera.

He then lost his consciousness and it caused an immediate concern on the court. His teammate John Barba rushed to recover him and tried to revive him by shaking his head.

That act got a lot of criticism from many as it was not the standard protocol to revive an unconscious person. Others said that it might do more harm than good.

But Bravo took the act of his teammate and friend as a good one.

“Please STOP spreading bad vibes, bad and nonsense comments! John Barba and I are very close, and I treat him as a brother. I understand what he did, and I appreciate everyone’s concern, especially my team. So please stop making bad comments. I’m already okay and cleared,” he wrote in his social media when he was still in the hospital.

After 12 years, Coaches Tim Cone and Chot Reyes will battle it out once again in a PBA Finals.

Splitting their past six encounters at 3-3, the pals Cone and Reyes will grind it out in the championship match-up of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup.

The two mentors started their journey in Alaska when Coach Tim was still the head coach of the squad while Coach Chot was his chief deputy.

And now that they are together in the Finals once more, though in the opposing sides, Cone is happy to battle it out again with his friend.

"We are really just happy that we are back in and going to pit against my good friend coach Chot again," said the Barangay Ginebra mentor.

"There's always been that rivalry between Ginebra and TNT. Looking forward to mixing it up with my buddy," he added.

In their head-to-head match-up, Reyes won his first title against Cone during the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup when he guided Purefoods to a victory over Alaska.

Meanwhile, Tim Cone got back at his former deputy during the 1996 All-Filipino Cup. It was also the year where Alaska won grand slam titles.

The next two of their battles went to Cone as he won the 2003 Invitational Cup and the 2007 Fiesta Cup for Alaska, while Reyes won their last two competitions when he captured the 2002 All-Filipino Cup with Coca-Cola and the 2008-09 Philippine Cup with Talk ‘N Text.

Their next face-off will be the first time that Cone will take on Reyes in the Finals as the Gin Kings coach. The TNT-Ginebra tussle in the 2023 Governors’ Cup finals was between Cone and his former Alaska ward Jojo Lastimosa, who led the Tropang Texters to the promised land. Reyes at that time was focused on his role as Gilas Pilipinas head coach.

In the recently concluded semifinals, Cone and the Kings defeated the San Miguel Beermen in a gritty series, 4-2, while Reyes and the Tropang Giga overcame the young and persevering Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of their own series, 4-1. 

The 66-year-old Cone, is the winningest coach in the league’s history with 25 titles tucked under his belt and still looking for more, while the 61-year-old Reyes has nine championships.

They were both multiple recipients of the “Coach of the Year” awards from the PBA Press Corps. The award is named after ‘The Maestro’ Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan.

Cone won the award four times already, while Reyes won it six times – the most in PBA’s history.

Game 1 of the finals will be on Sunday, October 27, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

San Miguel Beermen team consultant Leo Austria has given his take on their series against Barangay Ginebra, on what they lack and what they need to do in order for them to get toe-to-toe versus their rival.

As of writing, the series is tied 2-2 and it seemed like the observations and assessments that Austria shared with Dribble Report after Game 1 have come into reality.

In an exclusive interview with Dribble Report, the nine-time PBA champion coach shared that after Game 1 of their semifinal series, SMB needed to do a lot of things because if they don’t change their approach in the game, the match-up might have a different story already.

After Game 1, coach Leo said that they must address the hot perimeter shooting of Ginebra where they scored 56 out of the 122 points.

“If you will take a look at the stats and all, we just allowed them to score in the perimeter.I think 56 points, 4-point play, 5 times, that's 20. And then a 3-point play, that's 12, that's 36, plus 20, that's 56. And they scored 122,” Austria said.

He also shared that in a semifinals series like the one they are in, SMB should not allow their opponent to put up more than 100 points especially that Ginebra doesn’t have a dominant big man on the post like the eight-time MVP of the Beermen, June Mar Fajardo.

Austria also specified that their nemesis are already intact because they have already been together for quite some time and the fluidity of their play is evident at present. And the Gin Kings also have additional rest because they finished their quarterfinals series earlier.

As for the Beermen, they took a longer route in beating Converge in the quarterfinals where it went the distance. They also played in the opening of the East Asian Super League or EASL. But that’s not an excuse for them.

“And regarding the adjustment, we have to be prepared mentally. And let us forget what happened on October 9. We cannot dwell on that. But we have to learn from the mistakes and lapses,” said Austria.

The nine-time PBA champion mentor also said that they need to focus and put more effort. And for them to be focused, they need a lot of preparation. But a day of preparation is not enough because it will zap the energy of the players.

True enough, after a two-days rest, the SMB displayed dominance in Game 4 to tie the series anew. The Beermen also won Game 2 but with just a six-point victory after falling down to the Gin Kings by 17 on their first outing. Ginebra also won Game 3 by a margin of 5 points.

Judd Flavell has been appointed as the new head coach of the New Zealand Men’s National Basketball Team. 

Flavell, who suited up for Tall Blacks in 38 games from 1999 to 2002, including the 2002 FIBA World Championships, succeeded former teammate and FIBA Hall of Famer Pero Cameron, barely two months before the Kiwis resumed their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers campaign next month.

Last August, Basketball New Zealand announced that Cameron had accepted an offer to lead Ningbo Rockets in China after guiding the Tall Blacks for five years. 

This is the third time in a row that the nation has chosen a player from the renowned 2002 squad that advanced to the FIBA Basketball World Cup final four in Indianapolis to coach the national team. 

Prior to Cameron, Paul Henare, another member of the 2002 squad, led the Tall Blacks to victory at the FIBA Asia Cup in 2017 and the 2019 World Cup in China.

“There’s a lot of emotions that came up for me, because I feel so passionate about the black singlet, about the Tall Blacks, what we’ve done and achieved on the international stage in the past,” said Flavell.

“For me it’s been a long journey, coming from being part of the Tall Blacks programme as a player – growing up and having that dream of putting on the black singlet – and then being involved in some of our finer moments in 2001/02, then being an assistant coach. I really feel privileged and honored to be given this responsibility,” he added.

According to Basketball New Zealand CEO Dillon Boucher, Flavell is the ideal candidate to guide the Tall Blacks to victory in the next cycle because of his personality and experience.

“Judd has played at the highest level with the Tall Blacks and now gets to lead them as Head Coach. His passion for the jersey and for New Zealand basketball is as high as you can get,” Boucher remarked.

In the second window of the Asia Cup qualifiers, New Zealand, ranked No. 22 in the FIBA World Rankings, will play its first of two games against Gilas Pilipinas on November 21 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Kiwis and the Filipinos, both with spotless 2-0 records after the February window, will compete for the solo top spot of Group B when they face each other next month. 

The TNT Tropang Giga is just one win away from getting back to the PBA Finals.

Tonight, the titleholder will have a chance to do it at the Ynares Center in Antipolo when they battle Rain or Shine in the Game 5 of their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals series.

But it will not be that easy for the Tropang Giga as the Elasto Painters won’t give up until the final buzzer just like what they did in their past games.

In their first two games, TNT showed on why they are the defending champions by dominating those outings but the next two games were grind out as the winning margins have only an average of 1.5.

If the Tropang Giga gets the win tonight in Antipolo, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his local teammates will have a chance to have back-to-back titles in the said conference which they also won in 2023 against Barangay Ginebra.

Incidentally, if the trend in the other series where the Gin Kings and Beermen split their first four games, a rematch between TNT and Ginebra could possibly happen.

Though the Tropang Giga can put an end to the Elasto Painters’ campaign tonight, the two coaches have different approaches in their upcoming game that will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

"The finals are farthest from our minds right now. Our only thought is to prepare for the next game - Game 5," said TNT coach Chot Reyes

While RoS coach Yeng Guiao uttered: "We still feel good about the series. It would be hard to climb back. But we're getting used to finding ways to win. Yes we're down but it could easily have been an even series. That's our perspective. It's positive. We're enjoying the series as we're learning a lot. Meron pa kaming pwedeng i-adjust na makakatulong sa amin," said Guiao.

"RHJ is playing more than 46 minutes a game, high intensity. Kung ma-extend namin into Game Six or Game Seven, there's the possibility he might tire out. That's our objective," Guiao added.

San Miguel showed how mighty they are when they tied the series against Ginebra, 131-121, in the Game 4 of their semi-finals match-up held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

SMB head coach Jorge Gallent was happy that his wards responded to the challenge that they played hard, put more effort and brought a lot of energy for them to win the game.

“I challenged them during our practice yesterday that they need to be strong, put effort, and bring a lot of energy to have a big chance of winning the game. So, kudos to them,” said Gallent in Filipino.

June Mar Fajardo led the Beemen with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists, while import CJ Anosike added 27 markers and CJ Perez contributed 15.

Marcio Lassiter and Don Trollano also scored in double digits with 15 points each.

Meanwhile, Gin Kings coach Tim Cone said that they had no answer to the great performance that SMB threw at them.

“They’re just too good for us tonight. They were firing on all cylinders. We had no answer for them. They were hitting shots from the outside, they were getting to the rim, getting the ball to June Mar. We just didn’t have an answer for them tonight,” according to Cone.

“Basically, it’s back to the drawing boards and we’ll figure out what we could do better next time around,” Cone added.

Justin Brownlee paced the Ginebra with 49 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Game 5 of the series will be on Friday, October 17, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Tropang Giga in their 81-79 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters during Game 4 of their best-of-seven finals series of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup held at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last night, October 16.

The defending champions now have a 3-1 lead in the series and one win away from getting back to the finals. They can grab that chance on Friday, October 18, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Hollis-Jefferson slam dunk in the last 37.3 seconds of play which eventually became the final basket of the game that gave TNT its narrow victory.

RHJ played an all-around game and produced 23 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and five blocks.

“It’s kind of tough, because I can’t dunk every play. But I knew we really needed a basket,” said the TNT import.

Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana contributed 15 markers each to help in the scoring department.

TNT head coach Chot Reyes said that it was a tough game for them as the defense of the Elasto Painters was so tight but a good thing for them, they never backed down and they brought out the best in them.

"It was a grind and we just kept reminding the players to stick with it. We knew it was going to be a grind, actually," said Reyes.

“That’s far from our minds right now. Our thought is the preparation for the next game. Rain or Shine came up with a great game plan today, But I thought our players fought hard, buckled down, and gave a lot to the effort that they put in,” he added.

Meanwhile, the 22 points and 18 rebounds of RoS import Aaron Fuller were not enough to bring the game to overtime or even steal from the Tropang Giga.

The Meralco Bolts dealt their first loss in the second season of the East Asia Super League (EASL) at the hands of Japan B.League squad, Ryukyu Golden Kings, 77-74, Wednesday night, October 16, at the Okinawa Arena in Japan.

The Bolts fell prey to last year’s B.League runner up despite making a valiant effort to mount a comeback rally. Import Allen Durham, who was playing against his former team for the first time, along with Bong Quinto and DJ Kennedy, steered the team into a late game surge that only fell short.

With 2:50 minutes left, the Bolts were behind 66-77 before they sank eight unanswered points to cut the deficit to three, 74-77, with 41.7 remaining. Durham had the opportunity to force the game into overtime but his game-tying three-point attempt was knocked by Ryukyu import Victor Law.

Law, who once played for the Orlando Magic, helped the Golden Kings to avoid catastrophe as they won their first EASL game to take a 1-0 lead in Group B.

Durham finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the losing cause that dropped Meralco to 1-1 record after failing to build on its recent home soil victory over the Macau Black Bears, 97-85, at the SM Mall of Asia.

Kennedy paced the Bolts with 30 markers and 12 boards, while Chris Newsome hammered 18.

Law led the Golden Kings with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, another import Jack Cooley fired the same output along with seven boards, while naturalized player Alex Kirk supplemented 12.

The Bolts' next game is against Busan KCC Egis of the Korean Basketball League on November 13 at Philsports Arena.

The Scores:

Ryukyu (77) — Law 18, Cooley 18, Kirk 12, Eumatsu 9, Matsuwaki 9, Waki 6, Kishimoto 3, Arakawa 2, Onodera 0.

Meralco (74) — Kennedy 30, Durham 18, Newsome 18, Kouame 4, Quinto 4, Bates 0, Almazan 0, Caram 0.

Quarter Scores: 23-18; 51-35; 66-57; 77-74.

University of Santo Tomas unlatched its second round campaign with a dominating win over University of the Philippines, 84-57, in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament Sunday afternoon, October 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Veteran guard Tacky Tacatac showed no signs of ceasing her hot streak as she bolstered UST to a 7-1 record with their fourth straight win. 

Tacatac finished with a game-high 23 points, as three consecutive three-pointers courtesy of Karylle Sierba and Kent Pastrana ballooned UST’s lead to 14 entering the fourth period, 60-46, keeping hold of solo second place. 

“Coach told us in the dugout that we needed to focus on defense because our scoring was useless if we were also letting the opponent score, which is why we couldn’t pull away. Luckily, in the second half, we were able to stop UP,” said Tacatac.

Sierba contributed 15 markers, all from the three-point line. Pastrana chipped in 11 points and five rebounds. CJ Maglupay scored 10 and 11 boards, while Brigette Santos tallied eight markers, seven dimes, and six deflections.

In the fourth quarter, Louna Ozar gave the Fighting Maroons a quick boost by scoring four points a row to cut the deficit to 10, 50-60. But that hope swiftly diminished when UST answered with a 17-2 run, taking a dominating 77-52 lead with 5:08 remaining in the game.

The Growling Tigresses will seek for another win when they face Ateneo on Saturday, October 19, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

As the Fighting Maroons dropped to fifth place with a 3-5 slate, they will have to take on  National University on Sunday, October 20, at the same venue.

The Scores:

UST 84 – Tacatac 23, Sierba 15, Pastrana 11, Maglupay 10, Santos 8, Ambos 6, Soriano 5, Reliquette 4, Pineda 2, Bron 0, Pescador 0, Danganan 0, Serrano 0, Lopez 0, Amatong 0.

UP 57 – Ozar 15, Pesquera 10, Bariquit 8, Sauz 6, Maw 6, Tapawan 5, Lozada 5, Mendoza 2, Jimenez 0, Barba 0, Vingno 0, Solitario 0, Nolasco 0.

Quarter Scores: 22-16, 41-38, 60-46, 84-57

National University maintained its flawless record in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday, October 13, with a commanding 20-point victory against Ateneo, 82-62, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rookie Cielo Pagdulagan delivered her usual fine form for the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points along with seven assists, six rebounds, and five steals without committing a turnover to end the match with a game-high plus-27 rating off the bench.

In their first round matchup, Ateneo had given NU everything it had before the Lady Bulldogs clinched 66-58. This time, they had less difficulty, taking control of the game with a 20-point second quarter and winning by a significant margin.

"The one week break that happened between the first round and the second round really helped us in preparing for this game specifically because we had a lot of time processing and laying down the game plan," said NU coach Aris Dimaunahan. 

Banking on the absence of Ateneo’s leading player Junize Calago, who fouled out early in the third quarter at 7:18, the Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to a game-high 22 points, 56-34, courtesy of Aloha Betanio’s layup and triple.

Betanio recorded 11 markers, five boards, three dimes, and four deflections, while May Canuto supplemented 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists. 

Jainaba Konateh and Camille Clarin each provided eight and seven markers, while Angel Surada only managed to score three points on one of four shots but still pulled down eight rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs hope to keep their record unblemished when they face the UP Fighting Maroons next Sunday, October 20, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Meanwhile, Kacey Dela Rosa tallied her eight consecutive double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds, as well as an assists and a block, while Nigerian center Sarah Makanjoula was limited to seven markers on 2-of-8 shooting but still managed to finish with 11 boards, two deflections, one rejections, and one dimes.

After fouling out, Calago posted six points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, but also committed six turnovers. 

Ateneo will strive to end a two-game losing streak against the reigning champions Growling Tigresses next Saturday, October 19, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Scores:

NU (82) - Pagdulagan 16, Betanio 11, Canuto 11, Konateh 8, Clarin 7, Villanueva 6, Pingol 5, Fabruada 4, Solis 4, Cayabyab 3, Surada 3, Ico 2, Alterado 2, Pring 0, Talas 0

Ateneo (62) - Dela Rosa 22, Makanjuola 7, Cruza 7, Calago 6, Batongbakal 6, Oani 6, Angala 5, Villacruz 2, Eufemiano 1, Nieves 0, Aquirre 0, Olivenza 0, Cancio 0, Lopez 0, Fetalvero 0.

Quarter Scores: 19-14, 39-25, 64-47, 82-62.

Wello Lingolingo saved the UE Red Warriors on Sunday night, October 6, by knocking down a game-winning buzzer beater jumper to take a thrilling 63-62 victory against Adamson Soaring Falcons at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Lingolingo got a timely offensive board off a Nico Mulingtapang miss, then double-pumped in the air before taking a bank shot at the buzzer that sealed the game and extended the University of the East win streak to five games.

UE finished the first round of eliminations with a 5-2 record to place solo third.

“Yung nakita ko yung oras, hindi ako nag-dala­wang isip. Luckily, pumasok yung shot,” said Lingolingo off his game-winning basket.

“Sinasabi ni coach Jack (Santiago) na hindi dapat hinahanap ‘yung laro, ha­yaan mo ‘yung laro ‘yung pupunta sayo. ‘Yun lang yung ginagawa ko wala akong tinitake na forced shot. ‘Yung game-winning shot hindi ko talaga ini­-­expect, parang nandoon lang talaga ako tapos na-make ko lang salamat kay God,” he added. 

Precious Momowei led UE in scoring with 14 points, together with 11 rebounds and three steals, while Devin Fikes added 11 markers and three boards.

The Red Warriors only led twice in the game, the first being a 53-52 advantage at the 7:53 mark of the fourth period on a Lingolingo three-pointer before the Soaring Falcons answered back. 

UE’s second lead was the game-winner.

Meanwhile, Adamson suffered their second straight loss and fell to fifth place with a 3-4 slate.

The Scores:

UE 63 – Momowei 14, Fikes 11, Lingolingo 10, Galang 10, J. Cruz-Dumont 8, Mulingtapang 4, Maga 4, Abate 2, Wilson 0, Spandonis 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0.

ADAMSON 62 – Montebon 12, Erolon 11, Mantua 9, Manzano 9, Yerro 7, Calisay 6, Fransman 5, Anabo 2, Ojarikre 1, Barasi 0, Ramos 0, Ignacio 0, Barcelona 0, Dignadice 0.

Quarters: 18-23, 34-39, 48-50, 63-62.

The PBA Commissioner’s Cup will feature a one-import format with unlimited height.

There will also be a guest team in Hong Kong Eastern which is close to finalizing their entry for the said conference.

Each team will be allowed to field one import with unlimited height, including HKE as the 13th team of the tournament after they formalized their entry.

"Imports natin for the Commissioner's Cup isa lang with unlimited height. Pinag-usapan din namin sa Hong Kong Eastern yun. And pumayag din sila doon," said PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial.

Marcial added the league and the Hong Kong-based ballclub already agreed in principle about the team's coming participation in the mid-season conference which comes off the wraps on November 27.

"Kontrata na lang. Pero in principle ok na kami nung team owner (chairman Frankie Yau). Kausap ko siya nung isang araw nasa Europe siya. Gagawa na lang ng kontrata," said Marcial.

The guest team can also change imports but could only field one at a time and import-change should be according to the PBA's regulation.

It means that the original import can be replaced, but had to be relegated in the injury/reserved list in order to be eligible to return if ever his team decides so.

But the replacement import could no longer return once he's been supplanted by the original reinforcement.

Hong Kong Eastern is also eyeing a two-year stint with the league but Marcial said they have to discuss it first after the season finished.

One more thing, the Hong Kong team will not have a home game this conference and they will play their entire schedule in the country.

Adamson University ended the first round of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament, securing a solo third place following a 63-51 win against University of the East on Sunday, October 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Falcons delivered a stellar performance for their Season 87 campaign, closing out the first round with a 5-2 record. The last time they achieved this much success was when they finished third place after losing against De La Salle University back in Season 75 in 2012.

“I’m very happy with how the first round went for us. It’s all about the effort of the players. On our part, we’ll just guide them,” said Lady Falcons head coach Ryan Monteclaro.

The third quarter became a challenge for the Lady Falcons as they had to weather UE’s charges. The Lady Warriors kicked off the second half with a 16-6 run fueled with Ivy Yanez’s eight-point surge to cut the deficit to 47-37.

However, Adamson was able to quickly regain their composure with nine unanswered points in the final period as their lead ballooned to 56-37 advantage eventually sealing the game to secure their fifth win of the season. 

Monteclaro fielded all of 16 of his players, with 13 of them getting on the scoresheet.

Kim Limbago tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three assists, two rebounds, and one steal for the Lady Falcons. Kim Adeshina supplemented seven markers, 11 boards, three blocks, one deflection, and one dime, while Angela Alaba contributed seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Yanez led the Lady Warriors with 16 markers, six boards, three dimes, and one block, while Katherine Ruiz and Aliyah Ronquillo supplied 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort.

San Miguel averted disaster after dispatching the Converge FiberXers in the toe-to-toe Game 5 of their quarterfinals match-up, 109-105, on Sunday night at the Ynares Center, Antipolo.

June Mar Fajardo showed why he's an eight-time MVP by producing a monster double-double of 40 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Beermen in entering the semis of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup.

Fajardo went 15-of-27 from the field and shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line to carry much of the load in SMB's triumph.

Though having a lot of contributions, JMF said that they all step-up in their do-or-die victory.

"Nag-step up kami lahat sa game na ito. Do-or-die na ito, kapag natalo kami, uuwi na. Ayaw pa naming umuwi," said Fajardo.

"Lagi kaming sinasabihan ni coach (Jorge Gallent) na laruin ang 'San Miguel basketball' at 'yun nga ang ginawa namin para makuha ito," he added.

The FiberXers might have fallen down in the series but they made a gallant stand against the mighty Beermen led by their import Jalen Jones who also had a double-double of 29 points and 17 rebounds.

Alec Stockton produced 22 for Converge, while Bryan Santos and Alex Cabagnot contributed 16 and 14 markers, respectively.

They were still in the game until Schonny Winston misfired a four ball then Jones fumbled a kick-out from Cabagnot in the closing seconds.

SMB now set a best-of-seven semi-finals match-up against Barangay Ginebra that will begin on Wednesday, October 9, at the PhilSports Arena.

Rain or Shine advanced to the semi-finals of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup after defeating Magnolia in the Game 5 of their grueling battle, 113-103, on Saturday night, October 5, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Andrei Caracut rose to the occasion by scoring six of his 14 points in the final two minutes of the game.

Aaron Fuller produced his usual contribution by knocking 26 points and grabbing nine rebounds, while Jhonard Clarito and Adrian Nocum added 17 markers each.

Leonard Santillan and Keith Datu were also vital in the Elasto Painters’ win as they chalked up 12 and 11 points, respectively.

RoS head coach Yeng Guiao said that he is proud of how his young team fought against a veteran team like Magnolia.

"Proud ako as they competed and fought it out and hindi sila bumigay under pressure. It's the fighting heart that these guys showed," said Guiao.

Javari Bird led the Hotshots with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Calvin Abueva added 16 and Jerrick Ahanmisi contributed 15.

Rain or Shine will now face the TNT Tropang Giga in a best-of-seven semi-finals series that will start on Wednesday, October 9, at the PhilSports Arena.

Converge surprised the mighty Beermen once again as they dragged them to a winner-take-all showdown after having a 114-110 victory in Game 4 of their PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup quarterfinals match-up to tie the series on Friday night, October 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The FiberXers put the pressure on SMB by making clutch plays in the end including Bryan Santos' back-to-back triples that gave them a 101-95 lead in the home stretch.

“We just bank on hope in Game 3 because we were down 2-0. And now we banked on grit. We’ll bring that hope and grit to Game 5,” said Converge head coach Franco Atienza.

Deschon Winston steered Converge in scoring with 26 points, including 16 in the third canto, while Justin Arana contributed solid 25 markers.

Import Jalen Jones added 22 for the FiberXers but had to sit down in the precious minutes of the game when he was called for a flagrant foul penalty on a landing spot rule.

Good thing for Converge, Santos stepped up when he came in to give the FiberXers the boost they needed to erect a 14-point lead that virtually sealed the game for them.

“Wala na 'yong stats, wala na 'yong mga (previous games). Everything is out of the window. It’s just one game,” added Franco ahead of Sunday’s do-or-die encounter.

SMB was led by EJ Anosike with 35 points and 11 rebounds, while June Mar Fajardo added 17 markers and 20 boards.

Game 5 will be held on Sunday, October 6, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The winner will then face Barangay Ginebra in a best-of-seven semifinals series.

The Elasto Painters team is now ready for their competition against Magnolia Hotshots in another do-or-die game tomorrow, Saturday, October 5, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Coach Yeng Guiao firmly believes that through this match, their desire to end the eight-year hunger for a title will be strong and soon to get hold of it.

It can be remembered that last Tuesday in their intense Game 4 against the Hotshots, Rain or Shine failed to get the third win and they were dumped by Magnolia, 129-100. Guiao said that his team's stability as well as their resiliency and character will be tested in their clash tomorrow (Saturday) against the Hotshots.

“Yung experience of playing a Game 5, of being in a winner-take-all situation, sa akin, kasama na ng build up yun. We're always getting better every playoff game that we played,” said the head coach of Rain or Shine.

“So investment namin ito sa future ng team na para lalo kang tumitibay pag ka ganitong sitwasyon. So a Game 5 would be good for us as a team. This Saturday pag balik namin kailangan mas prepared kami for a very physical game, noting how the Hotshots played physically in the previous game.” Guiao added. 

“On our end, siguro kailangan kaming mag step up in terms of being a little bit more aggressive defensively and medyo yung transition game namin, yung running game namin, I don’t know if we’re tired or we’re a little slower or not able to get into the pace that we would usually be playing,” told Guiao. 

The winner of the series will play TNT Tropang Giga in the best-of-seven semis that begins on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

Meralco tamed the new team Macau Black Bears and gave them a rude welcome in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2.

The Bolts, just recently eliminated from their PBA Governors’ Cup campaign, poured out their frustrations against Macau with a 97-85 win on Wednesday night, October 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Chris Newsome led Meralco with 18 points and six assists, while import Allen Durham produced double-double numbers, 17 markers and 11 boards.

The other Meralco import, DJ Kennedy contributed solid numbers by scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing off eight dimes.

Another Chris also tallied double-digit in scoring as Banchero shared 14 for the Bolts.

Naturalized player Ange Kouame added nine points and nine rebounds for Meralco, which led by as many as 19 points.

"It's nice to win our first game in the country. We played with a lot of pride, although we didn't play our best game, at least we got one over here in our home turf," said coach Luigi Trillo after the game.

On the other hand, Will Artino and Jeantal Cylla both scored 23 for Macau while grabbing a combined 21 rebounds.

Meralco will be in action again on October 16 against Ryukyu Golden Kings at the Okinawa Arena, Japan.

The scores:

Meralco (97) -- Newsome 18, Durham 17, Kennedy 17, Banchero 14, Kouame 9, Almazan 7, Quinto 7, Hodge 4, Caram 2, Bates 2.

Macau Black Bears (85) -- Cylla 23, Artino 23, Chongqui 21, Leung 10, Deguara 8, Chao 0, Li 0, Zeng 0, Lao 0, Chan 0.

Quarter Scores: 24-17; 43-39; 73-64; 97-85.