MANILA, Philippines – Some of the most popular and successful athletes in Philippine sports today were introduced as part of Gatorade Philippines’ “powerhouse line-up” of ambassadors during the launch for the brand’s new drink flavor on Thursday, October 21.

Celebrating its 50th year in 2015, Gatorade introduced a new orange-and-grapefruit-flavor-based drink called White Lightning to the media, who had the opportunity to work out with the 3 of the brand’s ambassadors.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Btw here&#39;s how the new <a href="https://twitter.com/GatoradePH">@GatoradePH</a> white lightning drink looks <a href="https://t.co/Y6SOUcMOii">pic.twitter.com/Y6SOUcMOii</a></p>&mdash; Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) <a href="https://twitter.com/naveenganglani/status/657454099282001920">October 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> {/source}

Those 3 were Alaska Aces second-year guard Chris Banchero, two-time UAAP volleyball champion Mika Reyes of De La Salle University, and Ateneo Lady Eagles reigning two-time UAAP MVP and champion Alyssa Valdez.

Former UAAP Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP Jeron Teng of the DLSU Green Archers was also noted as part of the ambassadors line-up, but was unable to attend the launch due to La Salle’s practice.

“We now want to focus on empowering a new breed of athletes and game changers,” said Pepsico Philippines marketing manager for hydration Tony Atayde in a press release. 

“Alyssa, Mika, Chris, and Jeron are top athletes who know the value of working hard to stay in peak form and understand that games aren’t won on the court but in the gym and practice venues.”

“It’s an honor. It’s a blessing,” said Banchero, who was one of the candidates for the PBA Rookie of the Year award last season.

His sentiment was echoed by Reyes: “Of course, [I’m] super blessed to be a part of Gatorade.”

“Every athlete dreams to be part of a top drink, lalo na (especially) Gatorade, so we’re really blessed,” shared Valdez, who’s considered the top volleyball player in the country today despite still being in college.

“All we could do is say thank you to the Gatorade family.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Mapua Institute of Technology center Allwell Oraeme became the third player in NCAA history to bag both the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year.

Oraeme was the main attraction of the league's awarding ceremonies, which took place moments before Game 1 of the NCAA men's senior basketball finals between San Beda College and Colegio de San Juan de Letran on Friday, October 23 at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The 6-foot-9 Nigerian reinforcement garnered 69.67 SPs in the MVP tabulation after averaging 16.33 points and 20.28 rebounds in the regular season, leading the Intramuros-based Cardinals to the crossover semi-final phase.

“The mentality was getting into the Final Four, which we accomplished. Our mindset is to win the championship next year,” said Oraeme, who replicated the feat of PCU’s Gabby Espinas and San Beda’s Sam Ekwe as collegiate basketball athletes to win the two coveted individual awards in 2004 and 2006 respectively.

Mapua made its first regular trip to the Final Four since 2008, as the red-and-gold troop had to face and eventually lost to JRU in the first round of a stepladder series in 2010. San Beda won its 16 elimination matches that year to qualify for the Finals outright and claim a thrice-to-beat edge in the championship.

However, Mapua was booted out by Letran on Tuesday, October 20 with a 91-90 escape in a jittery Final Four faceoff.

Oraeme was also included in the tourney's Mythical Five along with San Beda's Art Dela Cruz, Perpetual Help’s Earl Scottie Thompson, Arellano’s Jiovanni Jalalon and Perpetual Help’s Bright Akhuetie.

Aside from the two aforementioned citations, Oraeme beat San Sebastian's Bradwyn Guinto to take home the Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

“I will try to improve my game more offensively because this season it’s more defensive for me,” Oraeme shared.

Joining Oraeme and Guinto in the All-Defensive Team are Dela Cruz, Thompson and Akhuetie.

Meanwhile, San Sebastian’s Michael Calisaan bagged the Most Improved Player title, edging out JRU’s Bernabe “Teytey” Teodoro. – Rappler.com

SEPANG, Malaysia - Spain's Jorge Lorenzo dominated Friday's combined free practice on his Yamaha despite hazy weather conditions ahead of this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP.

The two-time world champion outperformed Italy's Valentino Rossi by setting a blistering pace at the 3.4-mile Sepang International Circuit track, and in punishing heat, posting a best lap of two minutes 00.246 seconds.

Deploying extreme lean cornering techniques, the 28-year-old Lorenzo was 0.669sec ahead of team-mate Rossi, the championship leader who hopes to win his 10th career world title in Sunday's Malaysian GP at Sepang.

"We have a good bike and with good riding we can do well in the two remaining races," a smiling Lorenzo told reporters after the practice.  

"I have a good feeling in Malaysia. Let's see, the best rider will win the championship," he added. 

Challenging closely were Honda riders - Spain's Dani Pedrosa was second quickest, at 0.047sec off the pace - while team-mate and defending world champion Marc Marquez, who won in Sepang last year, was third fastest at 2:00.472.

Italian Ducati rider Andrea Iannone was fourth, but was 0.240 down on Lorenzo's time while Rossi was fifth fastest at 2:00.915.

Marquez dismisses Rossi

Meanwhile, Marquez who won at Phillip Island last weekend rubbished Rossi's allegation on Thursday's that he helped his title rival Lorenzo in the Australian race by making it difficult for the Italian to beat Lorenzo. 

"I am surprised like everybody (by the allegation). I won in Australia and will try to win in Sepang and Valencia. I overtook Lorenzo on a difficult downhill to win. Only Valentino knows why he is attacking me," he told reporters after the practice. 

Lorenzo also ruled out Rossi's claims.

"No. No. I was leading 80 percent of the race. Marquez was not helping me in the race," and described the sensational young Honda rider as "super talented, aggressive and ambitious."

Only Rossi and Lorenzo can win this year's MotoGP crown as it heads into the two final rounds of the season.

Adding to the drama, crowd favorite Rossi only holds a slender 11-point lead at the head of the championship table over his old rival Lorenzo.

(READ: MotoGP title on the line for Rossi, Lorenzo in Malaysia)

A classic battle erupted between the two Yamaha riders to top the time sheets during the morning practice but a calm Lorenzo managed to dominate both sessions.

In order to win the title in Malaysia, the 36-year-old Rossi will need to increase his lead in the championship to at least 26 points.

Rossi, the oldest rider in the MotoGP entry list, risks a world title showdown in the season's final race in Valencia on November 8 if he does not grab the title in Malaysia.

If Rossi goes on to capture the crown this season, the Italian will be the second eldest title winner since the world motorcycle racing championship started in 1949, when 38-year-old Briton Leslie Graham won the inaugural 500cc crown, race officials said.

Sepang is one of the season's most demanding circuits but is also Rossi's favorite track as the Yamaha racer has won 6 times here in the premier class.

Temperatures can soar well above 30 degrees Celsius at the circuit, which lies outside Kuala Lumpur and is one of the longest in the season. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It was close, but the NLEX Road Warriors managed to avoid the upset.

Led by the strong play of 42-year-old veteran Asi Taulava and team newcomer Sean Anthony, the NLEX Road Warriors were able to win their PBA Season 41 opening game against the Blackwater Elite, 90-86, on Friday, October 23, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Trailing for most of the first half against the clear-cut worst team in the PBA last season, the Road Warriors rallied to open the third period and at one point extended their lead to 8, before the Elite went on a run of their own that allowed the game to go down the wire.

Taulava finished with 19 points and 12 boards, while Anthony nearly picked up a triple-double with 14 points, 12 boards, and 7 assists. 

It was also an impressive debut for rookie Simon Enciso, who NLEX obtained in an offseason trade with Rain or Shine and registered 15 points on 5 triples on Friday.

“Tough win, and at least Sean really stepped up in the fourth. Asi made his free throws, and our defense really held up against Blackwater,” second-year Road Warriors head coach Boyet Fernandez said following the win.

“I just told my boys, the guys (after the first half), that even though we’re down, we just have to stay in our system and we know we’ll get back.”

The Road Warriors seemed to have the victory in hand when they went ahead 85-78 with 3:22 to go after a Mark Borboran jump shot.

The Elite responded with a 6-0 spurt coming from Reil Cervantes and rookie Keith Agovida, who led his team in scoring in his first game with 15 points.

After Cervantes missed a free throw that could have tied the game, Taulava was fouled with 39 seconds remaining and made both shots. Agovida then made a clutch shot of his own to trim the lead back down to one with 32 seconds to go.

Anthony then missed a shot but Taulava grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled. After he made both charities again with 19 seconds to go, Cervantes hesitated and then missed a game-tying 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining.

Anthony was fouled and then split his free throws, but Raphy Reyes missed a 3-pointer to seal the loss.

“This will be a good lesson for us, and [we’ll] learn from this, and we’re looking forward to our next game,” said Fernandez, whose team goes up against Barako Bull next. 

Cervantes recorded 12 points while Reyes had 13 for the Elite, who played without first-round pick Art Dela Cruz since he’s currently seeing action for the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA Finals against the Letran Knights.

NLEX will take on Barako Bull next Wednesday, October 28, while the Elite take on the Alaska Aces on Friday, October 30.

Scores:

NLEX (90): Taulava 19, Enciso 15, Anthony 13, Borboran 10, Villanueva 8, Apinan 6, Cardona 5, Reyes 5, Alas 4, Khobuntin 4, Arboleda 0, Camson 0, Raymundo 0, Villanueva 0

Blackwater (86): Agovida 15, Reyes 13, Cervantes 12, Ballesteros 10, Lastimosa 7, Gamalinda 6, Sena 6, Cortez 5, Melano 5, Canada 3, Erram 2, Golla 2, Bulawan 0, Vosotros 0

Quarter scores: 17-26, 41-42, 60-59, 90-86

More details to follow. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - Colegio de San Juan de Letran drew first blood against its longtime league rival San Beda College, winning Game 1 of the NCAA Season 91 best-of-3 final series by the score of 94-90 on Friday, October 23 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, October 27 at 4 pm at the same playing venue as San Beda will need to win to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday, while Letran will be looking to win its first NCAA title since 2005.

Graduating forward Kevin Racal spoiled San Beda's fourth-quarter rally by scoring a putback off his own miss with 40.3 seconds ticks to give Letran an 89-85 in the dying seconds of the game.

Mark Cruz and Rey Nambatac hammered the final nail in the coffin as Cruz converted his freebies from the foul line, while Nambatac delivered the basket to secure the victory after a three-pointer from San Beda’s Roldan Sara.

“I told Mark that this is our final year and we have to give it all,” Racal said in the post-game interview.

Entering the third frame with a 39-41 deficit, Letran quickly pummeled San Beda with a 17-9 romp that saw Racal registering 5 points and Nambatac drilling 4 buckets.

As San Beda’s Baser Amer pounced a tear drop to cut Letran’s lead to 52-56, Jomari Sollano dished the ball to Racal for an and-1 play to bring up the cushion to nine points.

Sensing the urgency, the Mendiola-based Red Lions managed to close out the third quarter with a 62-61 edge going to the final canto by biting back with a 10-0 blitz, where Nigerian reinforcement had 6 points from it.

Opting not to revert from its typical man-to-man pressure defense, Cruz, Racal and Nambatac sparked a three-point shootout versus San Beda, punching 5 shots from downtown.

However, Amer and AC Soberano answered back with 3 triples for the red-and-white troop to cope up with the Knight’s hot-gunslinging.

Veteran guard Ryusei Koga placed San Beda within striking distance as he stole the basketball face-to-face from Nambatac and sprinted to the goal for a layup.

As Koga missed a beyond-the-arc jumper to get the lead with 2:23 remaining Adeogun manned San Beda’s offense by chipping a breakaway layup and puncturing his freethrows, 87-89.

As Sara rekindled the hopes of the SBC crowd with a wide-open triple, Letran slammed the door on San Beda’s gutsy campaign to take away Game 1 with Racal’s putback and the lead-stretching effort from Cruz and Nambatac.

This is the first time since 2009 that San Beda lost the first outing of the championship series. In that same year, the Red Lions bowed down to San Sebastian College-Recoletos to snap their four-peat bid.

According to Letran head coach Aldin Ayo, he and his dirty dozen are looking to wrap things out in Game 2.

“I am expecting the same effort and same energy from San Beda,” Ayo expressed. “But we are going to finish this off.”

Racal finished with 28 makers to come along with 5 boards, 5 dimes and 2 steals, while Nambatac and Cruz hauled 18 and 17 points respectively.

Despite the losing effort, Adeogun had a double-double performance of 23 points and 16 rebounds.

Scores:

Letran (94) – Racal 28, Nambatac 18, Cruz 17, Luib 16, Sollano 9, Quinto 4, Balagasay 2, Apreku 0, Balanza 0, Calvo 0

San Beda (90) – Adeogun 23, Koga 10, Sara 10, Soberano 9, Amer 8, Tankoua 8, Dela Cruz 7, Tongco 5, Mocon 4, Sorela 4, Presibitero 2, Cabañag 0, Reyes 0, Bonsubre 0, Sedillo 0

Quarter scores: 22-21, 39-41, 61-62, 94-90. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – As far as season debuts go, the Alaska Aces currently look like the most dominant team in the 41st season of the Philippine Basketball Association.

Leaning on the continuity and familiarity they established from last year, the Aces dominated on both sides of the floor and easily dispatched another title contender in the Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters, 114-98, on Friday, October 23, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces were furious on defense in the first quarter and their chemistry on offense was on display as they raced off to a 30-18 lead after 12 minutes of play. Coach Alex Compton’s guys didn’t look back the rest of the way, cruising to an easy first win.

“Seriously, and I mean this sincerely, that’s because I’m blessed with a tremendous coaching staff,” Compton said in the post-game press conference, “and I think Fred [Uytengsu] (Alaska owner) knows that, and so while we committed to the national team wholeheartedly, I don’t think there was any feeling that we were going to fall apart because I was not there.”

Vic Manuel finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a dominant display against Talk ’N Text big men rookies Moala Tautuaa and Troy Rosario, while national team sparkplug Calvin Abueva was up to his usual tricks: hustling and providing energy on his way to 15 points and 5 boards.

Sonny Thoss played 5 years younger with 17 points and 7 boards, while JVee Casio and Chris Banchero recorded 17 and 14 points, respectively. 

“The guys played great, they played [with] high energy,” said Compton, who admitted he did not expect a result as one-sided as Friday’s game.

“Obviously we made some shots, and I thought it was really a contribution from all around… we had a lot of guys in double-figures and I thought there was good ball movement.”

The Aces shot 52% from the field and 50% from downtown. They scored 60 points in the paint, and received 70 points from their bench.

Alaska also got the job done on the other end, where they limited Talk ’N Text's supposed vaunted offense to 39% shooting. Ranidel de Ocampo and Jayson Castro were stupendous with 26 and 19 points, respectively, but Tautuaa and Rosario, the top two picks in the 2015 PBA Draft, went a combined 6 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“You’ll be writing a lot of articles about Mo and Troy,” Compton said to the media after the game, insinuating that the duo will get better.

The Tropang Texters went ahead 6-0 in the opening moments of the contest, but after the Aces took the lead, they played catch-up the rest of the way.

Alaska will aim to go 2-0 when they face the Blackwater Elite on Friday, October 30.

The Tropang Texters will look to even their record on Saturday, October 31, against the Mahindra Enforcers.

Scores:

Alaska (114): Manuel 22, Casio 17, Thoss 17, Abueva 15, Banchero 14, Baguio 8, Baclao 6, Hontiveros 6, Jazul 4, Exciminiano 3, Dela Rosa 2, Dela Cruz 0

Talk ’N Text (98): De Ocampo 26, Castro 19, Fonacier 15, Reyes 9, Ganuelas-Rosser 7, Carey 6, Reyes 5, Rosario 4, Aban 3, Miranda 2, Tautuaa 2, Rodriguez 0

Quarter scores: 30-18, 62-46, 89-73, 114-98 – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines - The Los Angeles Lakers have cause for concern after Jordan Clarkson left Thursday’s NBA preseason game after complaining of shoulder numbness. 

The 23-year-old sophomore guard left the Lakers’ loss against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter and did not return. The Los Angeles Times is calling the injury a “sprained right shoulder,” though Clarkson is reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage. 

“My arm, it felt numb for a second,” Clarkson was quoted by the Los Angeles Times. Clarkson was seen leaving the game with 6:17 left in the second quarter while clutching his right arm.

Clarkson is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday (Saturday Manila time), Lakers coach Byron Scott tells the LA Times, but Clarkson is adamant that he’ll be ready to go for the regular season opener on Wednesday, October 28 in LA.

“I think it's minor. I guess we'll just see tomorrow. It was just a sharp pain. That's all I can tell you,” said Clarkson. 

The 6-foot-4 Clarkson was named to the All-Rookie team after logging 11.9 and 3.6 assists per game. 

Clarkson’s injury may also bring some worries to fans of the Philippine national basketball team known as Gilas Pilipinas. 

The Filipino-American player from San Antonio, Tex. was one of the Gilas’ chief supporters during their run through the recently conclude 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. He was named to the pool but was unable to play for the Philippines due in part to a scheduling conflict with Laker training camp. 

He pledged his support for the Philippines’ “road to redemption” in 2016 following the Philippines’ loss to China in the FIBA Asia final on his Twitter account. Gilas Pilipinas has qualified for the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, which takes place from July 5 to 16, for the Rio Games. – Rappler.com

SANTA CRUZ, Philippines - Some 2,000 athletes and coaches coming from 700 private and public schools all over the Philippines will begin their quest to become this year's national champion as the 7th Milo Little Olympics (MLO) National Finals begins Saturday, October 24 and ends on October 25.

The MLO, which takes place this year at 3 playing venues in Lguna, is one of the Philippines' longest-running inter-school youth sports competition which aims to help in the identification of potential athletes.

Student athletes from elementary and secondary levels will be competing in 13 sports –badminton, basketball, chess, football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, Taekwondo, volleyball, sepak takraw and scrabble. This year, the organizers have added two new demo sports, arnis and karatedo.

(LIVE BLOG: 2015 MILO Little Olympics)

With 3 overall titles apiece, another head to head competition is expected between Team Visayas and this year's host, the National Capital Region (NCR).

Visayas had won the overall championship during the inaugural year of the national finals in 2009 and went on to continue their dominance in 2010 and 2011, which allowed them to bring home the perpetual trophy, which is given to the delegation who wins the national overall title for 3 straight years.

NCR, however, was able to wrestle the perpetual trophy when they became the overall champion from 2012 to 2014.

Team Visayas head of delegation Ricky Ballesteros said that he is confident of a good performance from his wards as they are now being reinforced by athletes from Iloilo and other parts of the Eastern and Western Visayas.

Changes to the MLO

Aside from the demo sports, the MLO introduces another change this year, the geographical splits. NCR athletes will now be joined by those from South Luzon while Luzon delegation will now have athletes from North and Central Luzon. Manning Visayas will be athletes from the Eastern, Central and Western Visayas while Mindanao will now include athletes from the Caraga Region.

This was announced by Milo Sports Executive Robbie De Vera during the press conference launching this year's national finals at the Shakey's Pizza in Malate last October 22, which was attended by all delegation heads.

NCR delegation head Robert Milton A. Calo said though that they will be putting up a good fight. “Hindi kami magpapahuli at hindi kami papayag na basta-basta na lang makuha yong korona,” said Calo.

Teams Mindanao and Luzon, however, cannot also be discounted, despite Luzon being in recovery after the the devastation of Typhoon Lando.

The 7th MLO National Finals would have been hosted by the Mindanao delegation this year and would have been held in Cagayan de Oro but hosting was transferred to NCR after some of CDO's sporting facilities were in need of repair.

De Vera said they chose Laguna as the venue “not just for their impeccable sports facilities but also for the support that the local government of Laguna was willing to extend.”

Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez has expressed his gratefulness that they were chosen because it is an opportunity for them to promote their tourism.

During the opening ceremony on October 23 at the Laguna Sports Complex, Hernandez welcomed all 4 delegations and formally declared the competitions open.

The opening ceremonies began with the parade of delegations, the lighting of the urn as well as presentations in karatedo and arnis, before it was capped by fireworks. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After drawing first blood in the best-of-3 final series against San Beda College, Colegio de San Juan de Letran head coach Aldin Ayo looks to wrap things out in Game 2 on Tuesday, October 27 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. 

As Letran is now one step closer to its first NCAA title since 2005, Ayo would like to end San Beda’s 5-year reign with a sweep. 

“I am expecting the same effort and same energy from San Beda,” Ayo said in the post-game interview. “But we are going to finish this off.” 

Letran answered every basket that was made by San Beda with bigger shots to claim a 94-90 victory as pro-bound skipper Kevin Racal led the Muralla-based Knights with 28 makers to come along with 5 boards, 5 dimes and two steals.

Racal also spoiled San Beda's fourth-quarter rally by scoring a putback off his own miss with 40.3 ticks left to give Letran an 89-85 edge in the dying seconds of the contest. 

“We know it’s going to be a tough game and it’s going to be a dogfight. We just have to be tough and grab this opportunity because not all players are given this opportunity,” Ayo stated.

Aside from Racal, Rey Nambatac also hauled 18 points, which included the bucket that cemented the final numbers on the scoreboard. 

Racal’s fellow PBA draftee Mark Cruz contributed 17 points and converted 4 of his 7 attempts from downtown, while McJour Luib pitched in 16 markers for Letran.

On the other hand, San Beda is in an uncommon situation, having dropped the first game of the first round for the first time since 2009. That year San Sebastian College-Recoletos swept the red-and-white troop in the Finals to capture the NCAA basketball title. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – San Beda College head coach Jamike Jarin is taking full accountability for the 94-90 loss to Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Game 1 of the best-of-3 final series on Friday, October 23 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Jarin stressed that he is taking all the blame for the disappointing setback to San Beda’s longtime league rival as he was outsmarted by Letran mentor Aldin Ayo in coaching duties.

“I coached bad today so it’s my fault. That’s why we lost. In all aspect, if you lose a game, it’s my fault. I wasn’t able to prepare against Letran,” the first-year coach said after the game. 

The 5-time defending champion Red Lions are in a situation they don’t often encounter, having dropped the first game of the championship round. The last time that happened was in 2009 when San Sebastian College-Recoletos swept San Beda in the Finals to bring home the NCAA basketball title. 

(READ: Letran coach seeks to finish NCAA Finals in Game 2)

Since regaining the crown from San Sebastian in 2010, the Mendiola-based brigade had won every Game 1 of the championship series since.

Jarin pointed out that the 29 turnovers also contributed a tough blow to San Beda’s rally to get the lead down the stretch.

“We had too many turnovers. We had our chances and we weren’t able to execute and I take the blame for it. I failed to coach the right way,” he stated. 

To compound the misery, Baser Amer and Art Dela Cruz were limited in their scoring output as the two finished with 8 and 7 points respectively.

“You have to give credit to Letran for the way they defended the two. But like what I said, I failed to prepare these boys for Game 1,” Jarin quipped.

Meanwhile, Nigerian reinforcement Ola Adeogun had good numbers as he racked up a double-double performance of 23 points and 16 rebounds to go along with two assists. 

“Everybody is used to the big numbers, and it’s has been a long season. We just need to gather our senses and play again as a team. If you will see, not bad for Baser and Art. Baser is almost in double-double with 10 assists. It was magnified because we loss,” Jarin explained. 

Although San Beda’s back is against the wall for the first time in 6 years, Jarin remains optimistic about the red-and-white troop’s chances.

“The good thing about it is that we have Game 2. You have to win two games to win the championship. Good thing about it, we still have a game on Tuesday,” he articulated.

Jarin also promised that his boys will give their best effort to force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday, October 29.

“We need to take care of the ball, and I need to coach better,” he said. “We just need to play smarter because there were a couple of plays that we didn’t play smart. It cost us the lead and a chance to get back.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Colegio de San Juan de Letran head coach Aldin Ayo says that the presence of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao gave the Knights an extra push to win Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series against San Beda College on Friday, October 23.

Pacquiao made his first official appearance as Letran’s team manager, sitting on the bench beside the players and the coaching staff as he witnessed the 94-90 win of the Muralla-based brigade against their longtime league rivals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

(READ: San Beda coach Jarin takes blame for NCAA Finals Game 1 loss)

Ayo revealed that the entire roster of the Letran squad was surprised when Pacquiao visited dugout before the tip-off and gave a quick pep talk.

“When he entered the locker room, I saw the players’ faces as they were elated that he was there,” he said. “I said in my past interviews that his name is already a motivation to us.”

After Letran’s victory over San Beda, Pacquiao treated the team to a dinner at an undisclosed place. The 8-division boxing champion is also the player-coach of the PBA’s Mahindra Enforcers, and is also a reserve on the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) team the Powervit Pilipinas Aguilas team.

(READ: Pacquiao named Letran Knights team manager)

Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, October 27 at the same playing venue as San Beda will need to win to force a decisive Game 3 on October 29, while Letran will be looking to capture its first NCAA title since 2005. – Rappler.com

LINCOLN, USA - Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose made his pre-season debut on Friday, October 23 with a plastic mask protecting his ailing left eye and said he hopes to be ready for the start of the season next week.

"This opens it up even more," Rose said of his chances of taking the floor on Tuesday when Chicago take on Eastern Conference champions Cleveland to launch the 2015-16 NBA season.

"I don't want to jinx myself. But my eye is improving every day. It looks like it's a go for me.

"This gives me a couple days to really work on it so I'm prepared for Tuesday."

Rose has endured persistent swelling and blurred vision in his left eye after surgery on September 30 to repair a fractured left orbital bone.

Even with the injury he played aggressively in Chicago's 103-102 exhibition win over the Dallas Mavericks.

"I felt good," said Rose, who finished with eight points, one assist and no turnovers in just over 10 minutes on the court, all in the first half.

"I love the way coach designed everything," he said of the game plan of new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. "He has me running downhill and catching the ball with a live dribble. There are a lot of lanes and so many opportunities to drive. It's open. I love it."

In the past four seasons, Rose has played just 100 games because of various injuries, including surgery on both knees.

His latest injury came when he took an elbow to the face in practice last month. Although the effects have lingered, Rose said he's ready to get the season under way.

"I'm just happy to be running around and get a groove for the game," he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Adamson Soaring Falcons didn’t waver when they trailed by 16, and when the game went down to the wire, they came up with the big stops and shots to escape with a huge 75-74 come-from-behind victory over the DLSU Green Archers on Saturday, October 24, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Led by the 23 points and 14 rebounds of standout big man Pape Sarr and the 20 points of the returning Joseph Nalos, Adamson outscored DLSU 34-17 in the game’s final 14 minutes and 12 seconds.

The victory improved Adamson to 2-9 in the UAAP Season 78 senior’s basketball tournament, while La Salle fell to 5-5.

Jerome Garcia also played well for Adamson with 13 markers and 5 boards, while Nico Capote hit a humongous 3-pointer late in the fourth period that tied the game at 71 and finished with 6 points.

La Salle was led by the career game of second-year standout Prince Rivero, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Jeron Teng also played well with 22 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, but as a team the Green Archers shot only 3-of-24 from long range, which came back to haunt them at the end game.

DLSU went ahead by 16 in the third period thanks to the combined great play of both Rivero and Teng, who torched Adamson’s interior defense. 

In the fourth quarter, the Soaring Falcons turned to a zone defense, forcing the Green Archers to beat them with outside shooting. Consistent missed jumpers by La Salle let Adamson slowly inch their way back into the game, with it eventually tying at 68 as 3:45 remained on the clock.

Thomas Torres, who finished with 7 points on 2-of-11 shooting, hit a 3 to give his team breathing room but Capote responded with a big triple of his own, 71-71.

After Sarr and Rivero exchanged scores to tie the game with under two minutes to go, both teams went a series of possessions missing jump shots. 

Adamson re-took the lead on clutch free throws by Sarr with 18 ticks left. After a time-out, Teng missed a jumper but Rivero pulled down an offensive board and was fouled.

The former La Salle Greenhills star made the first charity but missed the second, although a double lane violation gave DLSU a crack at a game-winner.

After Teng faced a double team on the sideline, he whipped the ball to Torres before it found Caracut. But before the DLSU rookie could square himself up for a shot, the ball slipped, forcing him to throw up a prayer that clanked off the rim as the game clock expired. 

The Green Archers will look to get back on the winning track and strengthen their hold on a Final Four spot when they take on the defending champion NU Bulldogs on Wednesday, October 28. 

Adamson is in action on the same day against the FEU Tamaraws.

Scores:

ADU (75): Sarr 23, Nalos 20, Garcia 13, Capote 6, Fernandez 5, Polican 2, Bernardo 2, Garcia 2, Villanueva 2, Ochea 0, Tungcab 0, Camacho 0, Escalambre 0, Miranda 0

DLSU (74): Rivero 23, Teng 22, Langston 8, Torres 7, Torralba 4, Caracut 3, Perkins 3, Muyang 3, Tratter 1, Go 0, Sargent 0

Quarter scores: 16-19, 34-37, 48-59, 75-74

– Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Spain's Dani Pedrosa seized his first pole of the 2015 season in dry track conditions ahead of Sunday's Malaysian MotoGP, after a fierce battle with his Honda teammate and defending world champion Marc Marquez.

Pedrosa rocketed his Honda bike around the 3.4 mile Sepang circuit in a fastest ever lap time of one minute 59.053 seconds in Saturday qualifying, 0.409 seconds ahead of Marquez.

In third place was veteran rider and championship leader Valentino Rossi, who will start in the front row ahead of his Yamaha team-mate and old rival, Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo finished fourth, 0.684 seconds behind Pedrosa.

(READ: Lorenzo puts heat on Rossi in Malaysian MotoGP practice)

Crowd favorite Rossi, who put on a stellar ride to the delight of his supporters, was 0.673 seconds behind Pedrosa.

"To start in the front row will help me in the tough race. Anything can happen," the Italian told reporters with a smile.

Bitter championship battle 

Lorenzo, 28, had dominated Friday's practice, but qualified in fourth and will start in the second row along with Honda's Cal Crutchlow and Ducati's Andrea Iannone.

It will be a nail-biting world championship battle: only Rossi and Lorenzo can win this year's MotoGP crown in the final two rounds of the season.

Two-time world champion Lorenzo came in second at Philip Island last week and has narrowed the gap with Rossi to just 11 points.

Despite crashing during the fourth free practice, Lorenzo looked resolute in attempting to catch up by securing front row in Sepang, but the Italian - cheered on by his die-hard fans - denied Lorenzo a prime place in the grid. 

Rossi is hoping for a 10th career world title, but has yet to win since in 2009.

On Friday, Lorenzo rubbished Rossi's allegation that 22-year-old rival Marquez had helped Lorenzo win the Philip Island race, following a similar denial from Marquez himself.

Lorenzo and Rossi were team-mates at Yamaha between 2006-2008, but relations was tense.

Things improved after Rossi rejoined Yamaha in 2013, but with the world title at stake their old animosity has re-emerged.

For Rossi to win the title on Sunday, he would need to push his advantage up to 26 points.

Rossi, the oldest rider in the MotoGP entry list, risks a world title showdown in the season's final race in Valencia on November 8 if he does not grab the title in Malaysia.

Sepang is one of the season's most demanding circuits but is also Rossi's favorite track as the Yamaha racer has won 6 times here in the premier class.

Temperatures can soar well above 40 degrees Celsius at the circuit, which lies outside Kuala Lumpur and is one of the longest in the season. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Though the Ateneo Blue Eagles have made it clear that they do not condone the actions of John Apacible, they're standing behind the second-year player as he faces the consequences of his actions.

“We actually don’t talk about it - the issue - anymore, because we know it’s sensitive to John,” Ravena told the media following his team’s win over the UST Growling Tigers, which they dedicated to Apacible.

“We’re behind John. We know he did a stupid thing, but we’re behind him as friends, as teammates.”

Apacible was suspended for the remainder of the UAAP elimination round and from practice by Ateneo after a video with a male that was later confirmed as him appeared on Top Gear’s Facebook page looking intoxicated with alcohol.

In the clip, Apacible was yelling expletives as policemen tried to keep him away from the one taking the video clip. The recorder accused Apacible of kicking his car multiple times, and asked why the Blue Eagle was being allowed to drive away drunk.

(Read: Ateneo’s Apacible to face game, practice suspensions after ‘drunk driving’ incident)

The person who submitted the video, according to Top Gear's post, claimed Apacible assaulted a delivery van driver and was hitting passing cars as well. 

Making matters worse, Apacible was also seen flaunting a "Councilor" plate in the early parts of the video.

Apacible was not arrested despite the presence of police and the existing Republic Act No. 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 which states in Section 5 that: "It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and/or other similar substances."

“Alam naman ni John na mali yung ginawa niya (John knows what he did was wrong), but as his teammates, nanduon kami (we're there) for him. We want him to be better,” said Blue Eagles head coach Bo Perasol, who also stated that Apacible’s mistake does not “define him as a man.”

(VLOG: Perasol says Apacible should learn his lesson)

Ravena also says that he feels empathy toward his 6-foot-4 teammate considering the amount of castigation he’s been receiving on social media.

“Nakakaawa yung bata eh (I pity the kid), because he’s getting cyber-bullied,” said the reigning UAAP MVP, who added that Apacible will face the consequences of his incident with his teammates having his back.

“I mean, if he felt like, as Coach Bo said, and our management said, he felt like a man doing that, he should face it like a man with the consequences, but kahit ano mang yari, nanduon kami sa likod niya (whatever happens, we're behind him),” said Ravena.

“Hindi namin sinasabi na tama yung ginawa niya (we're not saying what he did was right), but as teammates, we can’t judge someone because of that lang. Yung buong pagkatao niya, ganyan na siya (His whole personality is like that). John’s a good kid, makes mistakes, he’s going to learn from it. Too bad he’s going to learn it the hard way, but we’re behind him. Yun lang (That's it). We’re really behind him.”

The Blue Eagles will play next against the NU Bulldogs on Sunday, October 25. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The FEU Tamaraws once again flirted with danger as they let another opponent hang around throughout the game.

But true to form, the Tamaraws were again able to come up with the big stops and huge shots down the stretch to pick up another victory.

Despite losing leader and MVP candidate Mike Tolomia to an ankle injury in the second half, Far Eastern University booked a seat in the senior basketball tournament’s Final Four round and extended their winning streak to 8 after a 71-67 win against the UE Red Warriors on Saturday, October 24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The win improved the current first-seed Tamaraws’ record to 9-1, while UE’s Final Four aspirations took a hit as they dropped to 3-7.

Mac Belo led the winning side with 16 points on just 11 shots to go with 6 boards and two dimes, while Roger Pogoy, who hit the game-changing 3-ball late in the fourth period, finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Achie Inigo did most of his damage in the first half and ended up with 11 points and 4 boards, while Prince Orizu and Raymar Jose each came up with 8 points and combined for 16 rebounds.

Bon Batiller wound up with 13 points despite having to get his ankle re-taped in the third period, while Paul Varilla finished with 10 points and 7 boards to spearhead UE.

It was a back-and-forth affair with no team taking a significant lead throughout the game. FEU seemed to be in trouble Tolomia’s ankle got hurt late in the third period, but their defense didn’t allow UE to run away with a lead in the final quarter.

Trailing by one with a little over 4 minutes to go, Russel Escoto hit a shot in the paint to put his team up 66-65. Both teams then went scoreless for almost the next 3 minutes until Pogoy nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, 69-65.

UE’s Nick Abanto then hit a big shot to trim the deficit to two with 46 seconds left, followed by the Red Warriors getting a stop as Inigo misfired on a 3-ball.

However, UE was unable to capitalize as Edgar Charcos missed a wide-open triple, then Varilla misfired on an open midrange jumper.

Inigo was then fouled and hit two free throws to put his team up 71-67 with 3.9 seconds to go. After a time-out, Batiller missed on a jumper to seal the loss.

The Tamaraws will aim to extend their winning streak to 9 games when they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, October 28.

UE will look to bounce back against the UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday, November 4.

Scores:

FEU (71): Belo 16, Pogoy 12, Inigo 11, Orizu 8, Jose 8, Escoto 6, Tolomia 4, Escoto 4, Arong 2, Tamsi 0, Dennison 0, Trinidad 0, Comboy 0

UE (67): Batiller 13, Varilla 10, Charcos 10, Abanto 8, Derige 8, Varilla 7, Javier 5, Manalang 3, Palma 2, De Leon 1, Sta Ana 0, Gonzales 0

Quarter scores: 18-19, 34-34, 53-55, 71-67

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel’s drive for their second-straight PBA Philippine Cup title started on a strong note as the Beermen pummeled the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 97-86, in the league’s first out-of-town game this season at the University of Southeastern Philippines Gym in Davao City on Saturday, October 24.

Back-to-back MVP awardee June Mar Fajardo had a monstrous performance in San Miguel’s first outing of the 41st PBA season, hauling a double-double feat of 21 points and 17 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks.

Following a lackluster first period that saw GlobalPort ending with a 26-20 cushion, the Leo Austria-mentored squad seized cruise control of the second period and never looked back. 

As GlobalPort gave many second-chance opportunities to their counterparts, Gabby Espinas initiated a 12-0 blitz to give the Beermen a 35-30 leverage before Alex Cabagnot spoiled Stanley Pringle’s personal 4-0 run and further exploited the Batang Pier with a beyond-the-arc shot and a baseline jumper to make it a 42-34 edge for San Miguel.

The SMB Five limited Pido Jarencio’s boys to 3 points in their ensuing possessions with their fluid ball movement as Fajardo manned the attack to enter halftime with an 11-point advantage.

GlobalPort managed to trim San Miguel’s lead into single digit with the gutsy exertion from Joseph Yeo and Doug Kramer, but the red-and-black troop answered back with Fajardo’s 4-straight points and Chris Ross’ two charities to raise up the advantage to double figures again. 

San Miguel continued to torch the green shirts in the final frame, where the Beermen led as much as 17 points from collective contributions from Marcio Lassiter’s triple and foul-line conversions by Cabagnot and Arwind Santos. 

The Beermen are set to play the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday, October 28 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, while GlobalPort’s next assignment is against Purefoods Star Hotshots on Friday, October 30 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Scores: 

San Miguel (97) - Fajardo 21, Cabagnot 19, Santos 11, Lassiter 10, Espinas 10, Lutz 9, Reyes 4, Arana 3, De Ocampo 3, Heruela 3, Ross 2, Tubid 2 

Global Port (86) - Pringle 20, Jensen 16, Yeo 13, Kramer 10, Maierhofer 6, Romeo 5, Uyloan 5, Washington 5, Mamaril 4, Taha 2, Paniamogan 0, Pena 0, Sumang 0 

Quarter scores: 20-26, 49-37, 71-58, 97-86. – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA - LeBron James is aiming to emulate the fearless approach of his idol Michael Jordan as he prepares for another tilt at glory with the Cleveland Cavaliers following last season's heartbreak.

The world's best basketball player is girding himself for the new season after suffering yet another disappointment in the NBA Finals, when the Cavs lost out to the Golden State Warriors. 

James produced a remarkable individual contribution to the Cavaliers' unsuccessful challenge, becoming the first player in history to lead both teams in points, assists and rebounds for the entire series. 

Yet the statistics - which included an eye-popping average of 35.8 points across 6 games - could not mask the bitter sting of disappointment felt by the 30-year-old forward, who has now finished on the losing side four times in six visits to the NBA Finals. 

James admitted recently that the latest defeat was even harder to stomach, joking he had almost got to the point where he'd prefer not to reach the postseason rather than fall at the final hurdle. 

"Every year you lose in the Finals, it gets worse and worse to get over," James said following another summer of discontent. 

"Last year during the post-season (I asked) would I rather not even make the playoffs than lose in the Finals? 

"It's a very valid question to myself. You get all the way there and you lose, it's like, 'I could have those two months back, be laying out, helping my body get better." 

Freedom from fear  

In a revealing recent interview with ESPN, James said he often felt encumbered by a fear of failure - something he believes six-time NBA champion Jordan rarely suffered from during his career.

"I look at it like this: MJ wasn't perfect. MJ had bad games. He had turnovers. He had games where he felt like he should've been better. 

"But I think the greatest thing about MJ was that he never was afraid to fail. And I think that's why he succeeded so much - because he was never afraid of what anybody ever said about him. 

"Never afraid to miss the game-winning shot, never afraid to turn the ball over. Never afraid," James said, adding that he had struggled to mirror Jordan's sense of boldness. 

"That's one of my biggest obstacles," James said. "I'm afraid of failure. I want to succeed so bad that I become afraid of failing." 

(READ: LeBron on PH basketball: ‘They definitely love the game’)

The remedy comes through victory, James said. "Keep winning and I don't have to worry about it. Keep winning," he said. 

Certainly in the eyes of their rivals, James and the Cavaliers are this season's team to beat. 

In a poll of NBA general managers last week, the Cavs received 53.6 of votes as the likeliest winners of the 2015-2016 season, with James the overwhelming favorite (39.3) to finish as the season's MVP. 

James believes the return to fitness of power forward Kevin Love - injured during the playoffs last year - will allow him to take more time off in 2015-16. 

"I think Kevin Love will allow me to sit a lot this year just because of his abilities and what he's able to do," James said. 

He is also adamant that the Cavs will be able to build on the team spirit that took them to the brink of the title last season. 

"I think we can build off last year, the chemistry we had, but we can't build off the success as far as wins and losses," James said. 

"We've got to have the same focus, we've got to have the same mind frame, we've got to have the same one goal, and that's to get better every single day, improve each and every month, and that will give us the best possible chance to play into June." – Rappler.com

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - Australian player Andrew Bogut is hungry for more NBA Finals success after shedding more than 20 pounds during the off-season through a new diet that has left him in prime condition for the grueling months to come.

The hulking 30-year-old from Melbourne clinched the first NBA championship of his career last season as the Golden State Warriors thwarted LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

But the 7-foot center was benched for last two games of the finals, when the Warriors pulled away from 2-2 to clinch the best-of-seven series 4-2.

(READ: LeBron aims to be fearless like Michael Jordan)

While delighted to win a championship ring, Bogut has worked harder in the off-season to lose weight with the aim of improving his agility and stamina. 

Bogut credits a documentary titled "Is Sugar the New Fat?" as the catalyst for his physical transformation which has already turned heads and impressed team-mates in pre-season. 

By cutting processed sugar out of his diet, Bogut has lost around 22 pounds and looks leaner than he has done in years.

"I changed my diet a little bit," he told reporters recently. 

"It has really worked wonders for me. I watched that documentary and it's unbelievable, man. "Sugar is in absolutely everything. I have a couple of friends that are label readers. I used to give them so much crap, telling them, 'Man, just eat it. Stop reading the label.' And now I'm one of those guys." 

Bogut says he hopes his new slimmer physique will allow him to offer more of an offensive threat for the Warriors. 

"I want to get a couple post moves, roll to the glass strong and finish," Bogut said. 

"It takes a lot of pressure off us, then we can get a decent shot from the perimeter." 

Warriors star Stephen Curry believes Bogut is primed for a standout season. 

"He does some stuff that you don't expect from a guy that size," Curry said. "His skill level is so high. When he's able to move and be agile, it's fun to watch." 

Bogut, who broke his nose for the fourth time in his career during a pre-season game earlier this month, says he is relaxed about appearing for the Warriors in a limited role - provided the team wins. 

"We get that win at the end of a game, I'm not offended by it," he said. 

"I'm going into my 11th year. If I can get three more championships by not playing the last two games of the Finals' series, I'll shake your hand right now and take it." 

Bogut is also nonplussed by the fact that many critics are already questioning whether the Warriors have the ability to defend their title. 

That fact was underscored by a recent survey of NBA general managers which found that 53.6 percent backed the Cavaliers to claim the title this season.

Bogut said the Warriors were happy to be underestimated. 

"I think last season was 'The Warriors are a regular season team, they're not going to do anything in the Playoffs.' We heard that all year. We went on a 20-game win streak, then we had to do that in the playoffs," Bogut said.

"So we've had all these testing - bulletin board material type - things about other teams disrespecting us. It's the same this season. All of a sudden we're not a top dog anymore, which is fine. 

"I think it's better and more motivation for us." – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA - Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his ring career with a fight on April 9 before moving on to focus on his political career, promoter Bob Arum has told ESPN.com.

Arum said he had discussed plans for a final fight with Pacquiao last week in New York - where Pacquiao received the Asia Game Changer award presented by the Asia Society at the United Nations. 

"I'm telling you what he told me last week at dinner in New York," Arum told the website. "We talked very seriously and he said, 'Bob, hopefully, by the middle of May I will have been elected senator in the Philippines and at that point I cannot engage in boxing because I need to focus on the senate and I have to be in attendance.' 

"Manny told me this fight on April 9 will be his last fight."

That echoed comments Pacquiao himself made in the Philippines this month, when he announced he would run for a senate seat. 

He has been a congressman since 2010.

An opponent has not been named, although Arum mentioned England's Amir Khan, a former unified junior welterweight titleholder, as well as unbeaten junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford - who fights Montreal's Dierry Jean on Saturday. 

Arum named Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley as other potential foes.

Mexico's Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs), has said he is not interested in extending his great rivalry with Pacquiao to a fifth fight while Bradley would have to get past Brandon Rios in November to be considered for a third fight against PacMan.

Bradley was awarded a controversial split decision in their 2012 fight that most thought Pacquiao had won, and Pacquiao won a 2014 rematch. 

The venue for the bout also remains uncertain, although Arum said he expected it to be in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, who has won 8 world titles in as many weight divisions, owns a ring record of 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts. – Rappler.com