MANILA, Philippines - If Jayjay Helterbrand finally chooses to hang his jersey for good, the 2017 Governors’ Cup title would be LA Tenorio’s parting gift.

Thanks to Tenorio’s heroics, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel notched its 10th championship in franchise history with 101-96 win over the Meralco Bolts in Game 7 before a mammoth crowd at the Philippine Arena Friday, October 27. 

“The General,” who averaged 13.3 points, 3.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals en route to clinching Finals Most Valuable Player, played his best game of the series when it mattered most as he poured in a game-high 26 points to go with 4 assists.

Suffering from a bummed elbow throughout the series, Tenorio shrugged off the pain to fulfill his goal of giving Helterbrand another championship before “Helter Skelter” walks away from the PBA. 

Helterbrand was planning to retire after the 2015-2016 season but chose to play one more season after Ginebra ended its 8-year title drought with the Governors’ Cup championship last year. 

“Aside from my family, management ng Ginebra, I want to dedicate this championship to Jayjay,” Tenorio said.  

“Kasi nagusap kami na hindi niya pa alam kung ano ‘yung plano niya so sabi ko sa kaniya, “We’ll get this one.” Si Mark (Caguioa) naman babalik pa yan e but I want to dedicate this championship to Jayjay.”  

(We talked and he said he does not know what his plan is after this season. So I told him, “We’ll get this one.” Mark Caguioa will still play so I want to dedicate this championship to Jayjay.)

Helterbrand barely played in the finals but it was him, alongside Caguioa and Sol Mercado, who reminded Tenorio that he is a pivotal part of Ginebra’s triumph.  

“‘Yung tiwala na binigay ng mga teammates ko, they’re really pushing me. Jayjay, Mark and Sol, talagang silang tatlo ‘yung nasa mukha ko na palaging, “We need you, we need you.” Nandoon ‘yung tiwala nila sakin and malaking bagay ‘yung para sakin as a veteran.”

(They trusted me and they really pushed me. It was Jayjay, Mark and Sol who kept reminding me, “We need you, we need you.” Their trust is a really big thing for me as a veteran of this team.)  

Tenorio, who now has 3 PBA championships and 3 Finals MVP to go along with it, is set to undergo surgery on his elbow on Saturday October 28 and said he will have sufficient time to recover as the PBA’s new season is set to start on December 17. – Rappler.com

It seemed like the viral outbreak over the past few weeks had been WWE’s biggest challenge to date, but in a show of veteran savvy and the collection of the world’s greatest stars paying off, TLC went off without a hitch. In fact, it may have even been better than they envisioned it.

Of course, the original vision would have been nice to execute. For the most part, anyway. The planned Shield reunion would have been a great moment, but it’s a good thing that Kurt Angle’s return to the WWE ring - no matter how last-minute it was - ended up being enough of a draw to both casual fans and fans who may have wanted a change of pace. Everyone was ready to write off the Demon King vs Sister Abigail for sure, and the clutch addition of AJ Styles to that match, no matter how cold it was, elevated Finn Balor.

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TLC is an interesting character study on the WWE as a whole. As it keeps doing so over the past few years the world’s largest pro wrestling company has been embattled, outside forces (that’s to say forces that aren’t Vince McMahon and his lackeys) have created an event and diverted whatever narrative they wanted to push into something the fans want to see. It’s not just because the fans are excitable over wet dream feuds and storylines, but also because the fans want any real reason to push back against McMahon’s whims they could sink their teeth into.

And for one reason or another, Vince McMahon himself can’t really seem to steer into that skid. He’ll do enough to give us treats like Kurt Angle returning or a dream match in AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor. But whether it’s because of spite or pure laziness, he won’t give us more than that—an actual motivation from Angle for joining the Shield (and it’s right there with the Miz), or at least a basic but solid foundation on why Balor still has to be the Demon King going up against a guy he’s never really interacted with before.

I’m not saying those little things don’t have their own merits. They do, because of the quality of talent involved, and again that’s the WWE’s pseudo-monopolizing paying off in spades. I’m just saying that there’s a lot more they can do by building on the little things, and McMahon doesn’t seem to know how to build on those little things. And it’s that refusal to work a little (or a lot) harder that turns the vocal fans sour on the old man. He can push whoever he wants to push, but he’s got to start earning the stories he wants, and if he absolutely has to, he’s got to adapt. Not only when there’s a virus going around.

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What are the brands playing for?

Now we’re on the road to Survivor Series, launched very discriminately by a surprise ambush by SmackDown on RAW this week. Pretty much everything is put on hold after the blue team banded together—rivalries be damned—and attacked the fire nation.

The little invasion is a nice, arresting visual (let’s not call it a siege, because even though it sounds cool it’s not really a siege) but in the greater scheme of things it’s not too justified. Sure, SmackDown vs RAW is always a good thing to fall back on, but without anything tangible to play for in the second year of the new brand split we’re just forcing people to stick together for nothing. There aren’t much stakes to make me believe that Baron Corbin should be falling in line behind Shane McMahon, someone he’s had arguments with in the past.

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If there was something like a huge corporate bonus, or even a trophy they could claim bragging rights on, I’d buy this whole thing in a heartbeat. Something we could visualize and get us to root for one team or another. As it stands, only Sami Zayn (and by extension, Kevin Owens) and Daniel Bryan have stood somewhat firm against the rash actions of Shane McMahon. When you have to build in a voice of reason, you know you’ve done something strange.

I’ll repeat what I said in the TLC part above: at this point, if you’re going to do weird things like that, you might as well start leaning in and running with it all the way. Start explaining, start working harder. It’s the least you can do for your audience.

*****

Do you listen to podcasts? Would you want to listen to a local podcast about pro wrestling? If the answers to those questions – especially that last one – are yes, then you should check out the cleverly-named Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast, featuring PWR General Manager Stan Sy, wrestling writer and Wrestling God Romeo Moran, and all-around multimedia person and former voice of PWR Raf Camus! This week, the boys talk about the TLC fallout and the road going to Survivor Series! Listen to it here!

BASEL, Switzerland – Roger Federer survived a surprise test at the Swiss Indoors on Friday before making the semi-finals at his home event for the 14th time with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Adrian Mannarino.

The French 7th seed, who had dropped 10 straight sets in 4 losing matches against the world number two, shocked the home crowd at the St Jakobshalle by winning the first set.

Mannarino broke to love for a 5-4 lead to quickly establish early superiority.

But Federer, who lost just 8 games in his first two matches, rose to the occasion, levelling at a set each with two service breaks.

In the 3rd set, the Swiss top seed saved break points in the 6th game for 3-3 before breaking for a 4-3 lead with a backhand winner.

Federer, 36, completed his great escape one game later with a break, firing an untouchable passing shot on a first match point to take the win in just under one hour and 45 minutes.

"Just because you've never lost a set, people expect it to keep happening," said Federer.

"But every day you feel different. It's hard to start out and play your absolute best next time.

"I had to dig and fight tonight. It was tough for me to get into it, he was solid in the first set and deserved to win it. But the reaction from me was really important."

The Swiss veteran fired 12 aces and advanced to a semi-final against 3rd seed David Goffin who downed American Jack Sock 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.

Juan Martin del Potro struggled to dominate Roberto Bautista Agut on his way to a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win as the giant Argentine reached his 3rd successive tour semi-final.

Del Potro, the 4th seed, is fighting for a place in the 8-man ATP Finals in London in just over a fortnight. 

He came to Switzerland with a Stockholm title from last week and a Shanghai semi-final boosting his chances.

A 3rd Basel title at the weekend at an event where Federer is looking for his 8th home trophy would send the 29 year-old Del Potro into the 8th and final position for the London showpiece.

He was a distant 47th in the race in late August and his efforts appeared to take their toll on Friday as he suffered a back niggle which required a visit from the trainer.

"I survived, I'm still standing," joked Del Potro. "I've been playing a lot of matches."

"I've had some problems in my body because I've been playing so many matches in a row."

"But I'm not putting my body at risk if I play tomorrow or next week (Paris Bercy). I speak a lot about fitness with my team. There is no risk to keep on playing."

"I will be ready for Saturday, it will be a challenge for me, I'm glad to reach the semi-finals of this event again."

Del Potro, now 17-3 since the start of the US Open, won the first set on Friday but found himself facing a challenge in the second as Spain's Bautista Agut, seeded 6th, broke twice to square the match.

In the deciding third, the Argentine, who beat Federer in the 2012 and 2013 Basel finals, traded service breaks with the Spaniard before winning the 7-miniute penultimate game with a break for 5-4.

Del Potro served out the match to move into a semi-final against second-seeded defending champion Marin Cilic, who struggled for 3 hours to beat 100th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 7-6 (7/4). – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines - For the second straight season the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings raised the Governors' Cup championship after toppling the resilient Meralco Bolts - in 7 games this time instead of 6 - in front of a record crowd of 54,086 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

Ginebra relied on the veteran leadership of LA Tenorio, named Finals MVP, to survive a late fightback from Meralco to win its tenth title in franchise history. The victory also gave Ginebra coach Tim Cone his 20th title, extending his margin as the league's winningest coach.

Relive the memories from Friday, October 27 in these photos from PBA Images.

– Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Suspended Neymar watched from the stands as Edinson Cavani's brace inspired Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-0 win over Nice on Friday, October 27 (Saturday Manila time) to send Unai Emery's side 7 points clear in Ligue 1.

Cavani's first half double, both assists provided by Angel Di Maria, earned unbeaten PSG their 9th league win of the season.

It pushed them up to 29 points, 7 clear of defending champions Monaco who face Bordeaux on Saturday, October 28.

And it was the ideal warm-up ahead of Tuesday's clash with Anderlecht when they can secure a place in the Champions League last 16.

The win also served to erase the memory of last week's draining 2-2 draw with hated rivals Marseille.

Neymar was absent for only the second time since his world record signing, the Brazilian copping a one-match ban after being sent off in that stormy visit to the south coast.

"All matches are different. Against Marseille, it was more complicated because the pitch was different and there were many things we could have done better," said Cavani.

"Tonight, we got the goal as early as possible in the first half and that allowed us to play more relaxed and close out the game."

Di Maria filled Neymar's expensive shoes on only his second start since August.

Emery introduced centre back Presnel Kimpembe for Marquinhos with Spanish left-back Yuri Berchiche replacing Layvin Kurzawa.

Rightback Dani Alves returned but veteran midfielder Thiago Motta was absent because of a knee complaint.

Mario Balotelli was a welcome starter for the visitors after missing last week's 2-1 loss to Strasbourg with a calf knock.

Nice coach Lucien Favre was forced into an unscripted last minute change when keeper Yoan Cardinale suffered an injury in warm-up with Walter Benitez summoned off the bench.

The Argentine stand-in keeper was quickly put to work by PSG as Di Maria fired in an inch perfect freekick from the left with the match barely 3 minutes old.

Cavani dived low to head past Benitez by the near post to bring a smile to the face of Neymar and to secure a place in his club's history with their 2,500th league goal.

Balotelli tested PSG keeper Alphonse Areola with a long range effort down at the other end but that proved a rare respite for Benitez.

In the 31st minute, Cavani claimed his 99th Ligue 1 goal when the Uruguayan ran onto Di Maria's neat flick to round the on-rushing Benitez and slide the ball into an empty net.

Benitez then had to act sharply to deny Di Maria getting his first goal of the campaign off an assist from Kylian Mbappe.

The second half was only 7 minutes old when a defensive blunder by Nice led to Cavani heading into the box with Alves getting a touch before the ball was helped on its way past Benitez by Nice captain Dante.

Mbappe then showed why he will become the world's second most expensive player when his loan deal is completed at the end of the season, the teenager sprinting round a cluster of Nice defenders before firing into the side netting.

As PSG reflected on a job well done Nice were left contemplating their 4th league loss on the bounce to keep them hovering above the relegation zone. – Rappler.com

HOUSTON, USA - Houston's Yuli Gurriel smashed a home run off Japan's Yu Darvish, who endured the shortest start of his career in the biggest game of his life, and the Astros downed the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Friday, October 27 (Saturday Manila time) in the World Series.

Darvish lasted only 1 2/3 innings, the 31-year-old right-handed pitcher surrendering 4 runs on 5 hits in a nightmare second inning as the Astros seized a 2-1 edge in Major League Baseball's best-of-7 final.

The 113th World Series continues Saturday at Houston with Dodgers left-handed pitcher Alex Wood (16-3) facing Astros right-hander Charlie Morton (14-7).

The Astros, who unleashed a 12-hit barrage against Los Angeles, seek the first crown in their 55-year history while the Dodgers try for a seventh championship and their first since 1988.

With the victory, the Astros matched the best home playoff start in major league history, Philadelphia's 7-0 run from 2008.

Darvish, obtained in a July trade with Texas, became only the second Japanese starting pitcher in a World Series game after former Boston Red Sox star Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007.

Darvish had been 2-0 in this month's playoffs with 14 strikeouts and two runs allowed until his Houston humbling.

Cuban Gurriel began the second-inning onslaught with a solo homer. Josh Reddick followed with a double off the left-field wall. Evan Gattis walked and Venezuela's Marwin Gonzalez singled to score Reddick.

Brian McCann, Houston's weakest batter, singled to right field to drive in Gattis. Alex Bregman's sacrifice fly scored Gonzalez from third base for a 4-0 lead. Jose Altuve followed with a double and Los Angeles ended Darvish's misery, replacing him with compatriot Kenta Maeda.

Darvish threw 31 strikes in his 49 pitches but only one was a batter's swinging miss, that a botched bunt attempt by Gonzalez.

The Dodgers scored a run in the fourth after Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr walked 3 batters to load the bases with none out, but Corey Seager's run-scoring double play and a Justin Turner ground out ended the threat.

Another Los Angeles chance fizzled in the fifth as Joc Pederson doubled, took third base on a ground out but was stranded when Chris Taylor flew out to end the inning.

Peacock shines

Houston stretched the lead to 5-1 in the fifth when Reddick singled and scored from first when Evan Gattis chopped an infield hit and Dodgers relief pitcher Tony Watson made an errant throw allowing the runners to advance.

The Dodgers answered in the sixth when Seager walked, took third on a Turner double and scored on Yasiel Puig's ground out to shortstop. Turner later scored on a wild pitch from Astros reliever Brad Peacock to pull Los Angeles within 5-3.

Houston, whose 12 stranded base runners included at least one in every inning, left the bases loaded in the seventh when George Springer's fly ball to centerfield was gloved by Taylor just shy of the wall for the last Astros out.

Peacock baffled Dodgers batters over the final 3 2/3 shutout innings, allowing no hits with 4 strikeouts. – Rappler.com

BOCAUE, Philippines - Before entering the league as Barangay Ginebra’s import in 2016, Justin Brownlee bounced from team after team after team.

The multi-faceted forward went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft and had to endure a roller-coaster journey in the NBA G League, formerly known as the Developmental League, and in different leagues worldwide before anchoring the Gin Kings to back-to-back Governors’ Cup titles.

When asked if he will come back to reinforce Ginebra again after they toppled the Meralco Bolts in Game 7 of the Governors’ Cup finals on Friday, October 27, Brownlee had an emotional moment. 

“I hope so. I definitely wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. Especially at this point, the success I’ve had here, the relationships I have with Ginebra, I’m truly blessed.”

After a two-year stint at St John’s University, Brownlee suited up for the Maine Red Claws in the D-League in 2011 and then joined the New York Knicks in the 2012 and 2013 NBA Summer League. He signed a contract with the Knicks prior to the 2013-2014 season but was waived a few days after.

He went back to the D-League as part of the Erie Bayhawks in November 2013 but his stay there lasted only for a few months. Brownlee played professionally for the Toros de Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, Germani Basket Brescia in Italy and Élan Chalon in France before ultimately landing a deal with Ginebra.

“I feel very lucky to even be still wanted. Before here, my career, it wasn’t going as I planned. Coming here, it was kind of like a lifesaver for me, it turned my life around for the better.” 

(READ: Finals MVP Tenorio dedicates Govs' Cup title to Helterbrand)

It was with the Gin Kings Brownlee experienced the most success in his career. In Game 6 of the Governors’ Cup finals last year, he stamped himself in Ginebra’s rich history as he hit the title-clinching shot at the buzzer that ended the franchise's 8-year championship drought. 

This season, it was a no-brainer who would reinforce Ginebra as the management tapped the services of the 6-foot-7 stud for Commissioner’s and the Governors’ Cup. And he delivered. 

Brownlee averaged 23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals on an impressive 46.7 percent shooting in the finals of the season-ending conference, punctuated by a 23-point, 8-rebound, 5-assists and 3-block outing in Game 7.

As if becoming the first import to lead Ginebra to two titles wasn’t historic enough, Brownlee did it in front of a frenetic crowd of 54,086 at the Philippine Arena, an all-time high in gate attendance for the PBA.

“You dream of playing in a championship but I never thought it would be in a place like this. 50 plus thousand, it’s amazing, man. Ginebra fans, they came out to support us. Just amazing feeling just to be out on that court and winning a championship. It’s unbelievable man.” 

Will he be back next season?

“I don’t think so. We’ll look up for somebody else,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who won two of his 20 championships with Brownlee.

“Nah, of course I’m kidding. No, of course. I mean, the thing about Justin is that he is super mabait, he’s just a really, really super nice guy. The players love him, [he is] the easiest guy I ever had to coach and he is a big shot maker. He plays big moments really, really well. He’s so calm every time. The game never gets bigger than him.” – Rappler.com

HOUSTON, USA - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish told reporters that Houston slugger Yuli Gurriel should be punished for a racist gesture made during the Astros' 5-3 World Series victory Friday, October 27 (Saturday Manila time).

Television cameras appeared to show Gurriel putting his fingers to the outer edges of his eyes and pulling the skin wider while sitting in the Astros' dugout.

"Acting like that was just disrespectful to people all over the world," Darvish said through a translator. "I feel like the Astros have Asian fans too."

Gurriel, a Cuban who played in Japan for the Yokohama BayStars in 2014, smashed a second-inning solo home run off Darvish to spark a four-run outburst by the Astros that forced the 31-year-old Japanese star out of the game after 1 2/3 innings - the shortest start of Darvish's career.

But after the game, Darvish's poor outing was less of a concern than Gurriel's actions.

"He made a mistake," Darvish said. "He'll learn from it. We're all human beings."

Several media reports had Darvish later saying that Major League Baseball should impose some punishment upon Gurriel for the gesture.

US World Series telecaster Fox said that Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred plans to speak to Gurriel on Saturday about the gesture.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said that Gurriel was "remorseful" about his actions and was planning to issue a statement but none had been forthcoming more than 90 minutes after the end of the game.

"I am aware of it," Hinch said. "He's going to have a statement. I know he's remorseful. But other than that, I don't know a lot."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was caught by surprise when asked about the gesture after the game.

"I did not see it," he said. "That's surprising. No, I didn't see it."

Roberts did see the troubles that Darvish was having on the mound, managing only five outs while surrendering six hits.

"The fastball command wasn't there and the slider was backing up, so he just really didn't have the feel and couldn't get any type of rhythm going," Roberts said. "They were taking good swings, obviously taking good at-bats against him. But it just goes to the fastball command and the breaking ball just wasn't there."

Hinch said that with Darvish struggling to find the strike zone with his slider, Astros batters could be patient and pound his other offerings.

"He didn't have his normal slider in the strike zone, so we didn't chase," Hinch said. "He couldn't really get it for a strike. It was all over the place.

"So when you can essentially disregard a pitch, that will go advantage to the hitter. And I think once we had some hitter counts, we put some pretty good swings on some pitches. We hit his fastball, which was really good. It looked like he was out of sorts." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Come PBA Draft day on Sunday, October 29 at the Robinsons Place Manila, people’s eyes are sure to focus on potential top picks Christian Standhardinger, Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng, Raymar Jose and Jason Perkins.

But during the Draft Combine last October 23 to 24, other rookie aspirants made their cases for belonging in the big leagues as well. Here are some of the 5 sleepers in this year’s draft class.

1. Emil Renz Palma

(University of the East, 24 years old, 6-foot-1)

On the open floor, Palma is virtually unstoppable. During one scrimmage in the Draft Combine, the spitfire guard dashed coast-to-coast, went past all 5 defenders with his nifty dribble moves and finished with finesse at the rim. He can also knock down the long ball and can be a pesky defender with his long limbs. But Palma needs to improve on his playmaking skills to complement his explosiveness so once he attracts the defense, he can either kick it out or drop it off to a free teammate

2. JK Casiño

(Centro Escolar University, 24 years old, 5-foot-10)

Casiño may be one of the smallest in this year’s draft class but he compensates for his lack in height with sound playmaking. The former Café France point guard is a savvy floor general who can set up his teammates for good looks at the rim. Casiño is a threat on the pick and roll since he can either pass the ball to his teammate or shoot the three ball with efficiency. Teams looking for a point guard who can facilitate and shoot can pick him up in the later rounds of the draft.

3. John Ervin Grospe

(Jose Rizal University, 23 years old, 6-foot-4)

Grospe is one of the best shooters in the forward position among all PBA hopefuls. He thrives as a pick and pop guy with his solid midrange jumper and can also post up smaller defenders and hit the fadeaway shot. However, his lanky frame can be a disadvantage as shown in the Combine as much burlier guys overpowered him down the block. But if he can develop a consistent 3-point shot, Grospe can be an asset as a stretch forward.

4. Gab Dagangon

(Perpetual Help University, 25 years old, 6-foot-2)

After a so-so performance in the first day of the Combine, the Altas stalwart turned heads in the second day as he led his squad to third place in the mini-basketball tournament with a team-high 20 points. Dagangon is an all-around scorer with a myriad of moves in his offensive arsenal. He can shoot from long range and can attack the basket with his athleticism but he has the tendency of falling in love with the 3-point shot instead of getting better looks at the rim.  

5. Jon Jon Gabriel

(Colegio de San Lorenzo, 24 years old, 6-foot-6)

With his tattoos and scrawny physique, Gabriel resembles a little bit of Raymond Almazan. Among the 44 candidates in this year’s draft, the long-limbed Tarlaceño is probably be the best shot blocker aside from consensus top pick Standhardinger. Gabriel has a decent jumper from 10 to 15 feet and can run the break as well. The major question about Gabriel’s play is if he can match up with heavier and stronger forwards and centers in the league. 

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles blew out the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 97-73, on Saturday, October 28, at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

This win puts the Ateneo Blue Eagles at a 11-0 record, and the Katipunan-based team also clinched a twice-to-beat advantage. The Red Warriors, for their part fell to a 3-9 record.

Coach Tab Baldwin's squad completed Ateneo's biggest blowout win of 24 points in the final frame as Kris Porter's bucket gives Ateneo their biggest lead of 31 points with 3:32 left in the game. 

The Blue Eagles got off to an early 7-2 start, as Anton Asistio drained the first triple of the game. The Red Warriors then picked up the pace, and Alvin Pasaol's bucket at 3:09 mark of the first quarter took the lead from the Blue Eagles (15-13). 

The Red Warriors did not hold the lead for long as the Blue Eagles immediately answered back with an 8-0 run capped off by another Asistio triple. 

The Blue Eagles stretched the lead to 17 points in the second quarter, punctuated by triples from Jolo Mendoza, Anton Asistio, and Thirdy Ravena. 

The third quarter saw sophomore Ateneo guard Gian Mamuyac make his first triple in the UAAP that gave the Blue Eagles a 20-point lead the 4:57 mark of the third frame. Only rookie Troy Malilin has not made a triple in the UAAP in the Ateneo roster.

Ravena continued to lead the Blue Eagles, scoring 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, while passing out 4 assists. Mendoza came up big in this game to score 100% from the field and the line, contributing 13 points. 

UE rookie Mark Maloles topscored for the Red Warriors with 20 points, and Mark Olayon followed with 15 points. 

UE star forward Pasaol was held down to only 8 points, which registered way below his average of 22.3 points prior to the match. 

The Scores

Ateneo (97) – Ravena 17, Mendoza 13, Tolentino 12, Verano 12, Asistio 9, Porter 9, Mike Nieto 7, Ikeh 7, Mamuyac 3, Matt Nieto 2, Go 2, Black 2, Andrade 2, Tio 0, White 0. 

UE (73) – Maloles 20, Olayon 15, Pasaol 8, Bartolome 7, Varilla 5, Cullar 5, Derige 4, Acuño 4, Manalang 3, Conner 2, Toribio 0, Cruz 0. 

Quarter Scores: 21-18, 48-35, 71-52, 97-73. 

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons' emerged victorious over the the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 59-56, on Saturday, October 28 at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

After trailing the Tamaraws for much of the game, the Fighting Maroons took the lead back with an 13-0 run capped of by a Jun Manzo bucket. FEU's Jasper Parker drained a triple with 32 seconds left in the game that tied the score at 56-all.

With the game on the line, Paul Desiderio connected on a dagger step back three with 1.1 remaining in the 4th quarter to seal the win for UP. 

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The Tamaraws had a strong start to the game as they dominated the first quarter for an 11-point cushion (18-7), capped off by the back-to-back triples of Wendell Comboy and Ron Ramirez. 

The Fighting Maroons locked down the Tamaraws and opened a 17-0 run in the following quarter that was highlighted by Paul Desiderio's 4-point play and Jun Manzo's triple. 

Jasper Parker went back-to-back from beyond the arc to tie the score at 24-all but the Fighting Maroons managed to break away from the stalemate with an 8-1 run. 

FEU answered back hard in the third quarter as Arvin Tolentino went on a solo 10-0 run and the Tamaraws limited UP to only 5 points. 

This win for UP puts both teams at a 5-6 record in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines -The score was 56-all with 12 seconds left. For so often for so long, close games for the UP Fighting Maroons have ended in crushing heartbreak. Once again, this time against the FEU Tamaraws, the Maroons found themselves in a familiar situation.

UP had already prevailed once before in this situation earlier this season. The words “Atin ‘to” (“This is ours”) rang throughout social media like how Paul Desiderio’s voice rang out during that fateful huddle against UST.

So when the Maroons were huddled once again for the last time with another game hanging in the balance, it was now the crowd behind them echoing those iconic words amid nervous clapping: “Atin ‘to! Atin ‘to! Atin ‘to!”

For UP, the difference between tying for 4^th place and staying at 6^th this late into the season could be made with one last bucket.

Sure enough, the ball ended up in Desiderio’s hands. Never mind that at that point, he was shooting 5/22 with 1/9 threes. For the last possession and possibly for the last time in college, the King Maroon met face-to-face with the graduating King Tamaraw, took two dribbles and stepped back for three with a hand right in his face.

Splash.

Ron Dennison froze as Desiderio circled the court and passed the FEU bench. For the first time in 12 matches spanning 6 years, UP had defeated FEU, 59-56. As longtime commentator Boom Gonzales noted after the game, Dennison “couldn’t have defended it any better.”

Coincidentally, around the time the Maroons last defeated the Tamaraws back in 2011, a graduating Dennison and a rookie Desiderio won the CESAFI high school championship for the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers.

Fast forward to the present, their journey has come full circle with each man one-upping the other in separate occasions this season. In their first meeting where FEU routed UP, 78-59, Dennison shut down Desiderio so well that he made headlines as the “Desiderio stopper.” After tonight’s game, however, Desiderio had the perfect one-liner for his former captain:

“Ako naman yung Dennison stopper,” declared the King Maroon. (“I am now the Dennison stopper.”)

“Yung mindset ko kasi, last matchup na rin namain ni Dennison kasi graduating na siya,” he added. “Iniisip ko, kailangan ko siyang bawian. Parati na lang akong dehado sa kanya eh.” (My mindset was that it was my last matchup with Dennison because he’s graduating. I thought I had to get even with him since I’m always getting one-upped.”)

To his credit, he did stop FEU’s unlikely leading scorer, as the defense-first Dennison recorded only 9 points on 4/13 shooting with 6 turnovers in 30 minutes. Desiderio’s statline – 15 points on 6/23 (26%) shooting with 2/10 (20%) threes – was no better by any means, and thus became the butt of Coach Bo Perasol’s jokes.

“Siya lang tumitira ng [5/22] na may kumpiyansa pa,” said a jeering Perasol. “5/22 and yet ginawa niyang 6/23, so medyo may kakapalan talaga. But that was good.” (“He’s the only one who shoots 5/22 and still has confidence left. 5/22 and yet he made it 6/23, so there’s really a hint of brashness. But that was good.”)

On a more serious note, Perasol said that the last-second win was a huge morale boost for the Maroons, especially after getting stunned by 7^th-seeded UE last time with a 73-64 upset.

“Sabi ko nga yung mga struggles namin, these are just things that we need to undergo in order for us to grow,” said the veteran coach. “Minsan masakit at nag-aaway-away kami but the important thing is we have the same goal in mind and that’s to uplift our program.” (“I said in regard to our struggles, these are just things that we need to undergo in order for us to grow. Sometimes it hurts and we fight over it but the important thing is we have the same goal in mind and that’s to uplift our program.”)

Whether they make the Final Four or not, however, the Fighting Maroons under Bo Perasol have already done enough to uplift the program, because this win marks Perasol’s 10^th in 25 total games. In comparison, according to chief statistician Pong Ducanes, the Maroons took 98 games over 7 years to reach 10 wins, ending with a 10-88 record before Perasol came on deck.

But of course, they won’t rest at 10 wins if they can help it. That’s simply not following the standards of #nowheretogobutUP. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines - Gretchen Abaniel won’t be leaving Macau with the IBF strawweight title after losing a 10-round decision to Zong Ju Cai on Saturday, October 28 at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Macau. 

Scores were not immediately known, and the result has not been published on Boxrec as of this story’s publication, but the Palawan, Philippines native Abaniel (18-9, 6 knockouts) says that just the decision was announced in the ring, and she feels the verdict should have gone her way. 

“I won 7 rounds, even my opponent told me after the fight I’m very good,” Abaniel tells Rappler. “She got hurt by my right hand but it is what it is. I did my best and I’m happy with my performance tonight.”

Abaniel did not have trainer Tony Del Vecchio in her corner as he had to attend a nephew’s wedding. Still she believes she did much better than she had against Zong (10-1, 1 KO) in their first fight in 2015, which the Chinese fighter also won by decision. Abaniel says she isn’t sure what she’ll do next, other than rest. 

“I’ll rest first. I don’t yet have a plan after this because I’m still sad,” says the Sydney, Australia-based Abaniel in Filipino. 

Abaniel, 31, had entered the ring on a 3-fight winning streak and has now fallen short in 6 attempts to win one of the “big 4” world titles. – Rappler.com

BASEL, Switzerland – Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro crushed opponents in quick-fire wins on Saturday, October 28 to set up their 3rd final in 6 years at the Swiss Indoors.

Top seed Federer, bidding for a record 8th title at his hometown event, was merciless with 3rd seed David Goffin, dismissing the Belgian 6-1, 6-2 in one hour as he reached his 13th Basel final and 8th of the season.

The victory was his 3rd straight-set rout from 4 matches this week at the St. Jakobshalle and propels him to 6-0 over Goffin. 

Del Potro fought off fatigue to win a battle of former champions 6-4, 6-4 over Marin Cilic.

"He may be tired and have some (minor) issues but that will not keep him out of the final. I'll be ready for a difficult match against an almost fully-fit Del Potro," said Federer. 

Federer said he overcome the rigors of Friday's (October 27) 3-set quarterfinal win over Adrian Mannarino.

"I'm happy I was able to turn it around today. Yesterday's match was complicated in terms of match-ups. I went through some difficult moments," said the 19-time Grand Slam title winner. 

"Everything changed completely in this match. I had a better mindset, I wanted to take it to the opponent."

Del Potro won his previous titles in 2012 and 2013 at the expense of world number two Federer.

"I'm surprised to be in the final, it's my 4th week in a row after many years," Del Potro said. "My body is still there. 

"I'm doing well, but in the final, anything can happen. I need to play better against Roger than I did today.

"I'm having a good end of year, it's giving me motivation looking forward to next year. Roger is the favorite to win – but I will see what I can do."

Federer has been powering through the week as he tries to overhaul rival Rafael Nadal to finish the year as world number one.

The battle is provisionally scheduled to continue next week at the Paris Masters, but the 36 year-old Swiss will make a late decision on whether or not to take up his second-seeded position at Paris Bercy after the Basel final.

Del Potro, who played a Shanghai semi-final a fortnight ago and won the Stockholm title last weekend, admits that he is tired, but intends to carry on.

"I'm tired and that is a little bit of a factor, but the only way to play Roger is to be aggressive all the time. Sometimes, even that is not enough to beat him."

The Argentine claimed his 10th win in 12 meetings with Croatian Cilic, the reigning champion who had spent just over 3 hours on court on Friday, October 27 in putting out Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics.

Del Potro has now won his last seven meetings with Cilic, who was the losing finalist to Federer at Wimbledon in July. 

"I'm happy to be in the final, I hope to play good tennis for the crowd and for myself," added Del Potro.

"Not many players can beat Roger, the greatest in history. It's always a pleasure to play him, and to do it in his hometown is amazing."

The Argentine took 45 minutes to win the opening set against Cilic, the second seed. 

A break in the penultimate game of the opener followed by a hold from 0-30 down gave Del Potro the lead.

In the second, the South American broke early but lost his serve in the 6th game, as Cilic levelled at 3-3.

But Del Potro gathered his resources to break straight back, finishing off victory with his 7th ace of the afternoon. – Rappler.com

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Sebastian Vettel boosted his slim hopes of keeping alive his world championship challenge on Saturday, October 28 when he claimed the 50th pole of his career for this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The 4-time champion German, who needs to win and hope championship leading Briton Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes fails to finish in the top 5, or worse, produced a dazzling lap in the final seconds.

Hamilton, who can capture a 4th world title on Sunday, October 29 was 3rd in qualifying, edged out by Red Bull's Max Verstappen who was on course for pole until Vettel's sensational late charge.

“I am so happy,” said Vettel, who took pole with a record lap in 1:16.488 seconds. “We will attack all the way and see what we can do."

"It's difficult and slippy and difficult to get everything in one lap. I had a moment in turn 6, I nearly lost it there, but I knew if i could keep it clean in the last sector it would be enough."

"Yesterday wasn't that good for us, but we improved overnight. I'm really happy but the race pace should be good.”  

Hamilton was subdued, but not downcast.

“We’re still on for the win and we’ll see what happens with Max. I hope to have a battle with at least one of them," said the Mercedes man.

"Those guys did a great job. I gave it everything in the last lap. I could've been a couple of tenths of a second quicker, but it wouldn't be enough to match these guys. We're still in for the win – I hope to have a battle with at least one of them."

Verstappen was second fastest ahead of Hamilton and his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari and Esteban Ocon of Force India.

“I gave it all I could today and I really wanted that pole position,” said Verstappen. “It just wasn’t enough.”

Verstappen sees stewards

Australian Daniel Ricciardo qualified 7th in the second Red Bull ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and his Renault team mate Carlos Sainz with local hero Sergio Perez 10th in the second Force India.

On a very warm, dry afternoon, with a track temperature of 47 degrees Celsius, Hamilton topped the times in the Q1 session ahead of Bottas, with Vettel 4th and Fernando Alonso, remarkably, 5th in a Mclaren.

Out went Marcus Ericsson and his Sauber team mate Pascal Wehrlein, together with the two Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.

Frenchman Pierre Gasley was also eliminated as he was unable to run in his Toro Rosso following an engine change.

His team-mate rookie New Zealander Brendon Hartley then also suffered an engine failure in Q2 and was unable to return to the pits.

His car lost all power after a cloud of smoke spilled forth and he abandoned the car, taking a scooter ride to return to the paddock.

This condemned him to elimination along with the two Williams men, Felipe Massa and Canadian rookie Lance Stroll as well as Alonso and his McLaren Honda team mate Stoffel Vandoorne. The last two faced major grid penalties.

Verstappen raised the bar in the Q2 session with a lap in 1:16.524, a full half a second faster everyone else – a lap that suggested Red Bull might be the team to beat.

On their first runs in Q3, both Bottas and Verstappen backed off while Hamilton, with 1:16.934, went top initially only to be overhauled by Vettel and then Verstappen, who was three-tenths clear.

“What are your thoughts?” his Red Bull team asked the Dutchman. “Yeah, this is good,” ge replied.

Almost immediately, the stewards announced they were to investigate Verstappen for impeding Bottas, reviving immediate memories of his brushes with the authorities in Texas last weekend.

Verstappen was called to see the stewards after the session.– Rappler.com

HOUSTON, USA – Joc Pederson smashed a 3-run home run to power a 5-run final inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers to level the World Series by beating Houston 6-2 on Saturday, October 28.

Los Angeles equalized Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final at 2-2 ahead of Sunday's (October 29) game 5, ensuring the matchup will return to Los Angeles for game 6 on Tuesday, October 31.

Four Dodgers pitchers combined to toss a two-hit triumph, the fewest hits allowed to a team in a World Series game since 1995.

The Dodgers seek a 7th championship but their first since 1988 while the Astros are trying for the first World Series title in their 55-year history.

The Astros had been 7-0 at home in the playoffs this year, matching the best post-season start in major league history.

It was practically a must-win game for the Dodgers, since teams falling behind 3-1 in the Series have lost 84% of the time while those pulling level at 2-2 have won 45% of the time.

Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger had been 0-for-13 in the World Series with 8 strikeouts until he doubled in the 7th inning and scored on Logan Forsythe's single to level the game 1-1.

Still deadlocked entering the 9th, Astros relief pitcher Ken Giles allowed a Corey Seager single, walked Justin Turner and gave up a double to Bellinger that scored Seager to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.

That ended Houston's major-league record playoff run of more than 70 home innings without trailing.

Austin Barnes drove in another run with a sacrifice fly and Pederson followed with his homer to produce all the runs the Dodgers needed.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen surrendered a second hit, a homer by Alex Bregman, or Los Angeles would have boasted the first World Series one-hitter since 1967.

Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Alex Wood and Astros right-hander Charlie Morton dominated the first 5 scoreless innings.

Wood baffled Houston batters through 5 2/3 hitless innings, the 26 year-old American left-hander sparking talk of the first World Series no-hitter since the 1956 perfect game by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees against the then-Brooklyn Dodgers.

But Houston's George Springer blasted a 3-ball, 1-strike offering over the left-field wall in the 6th inning for a home run on the only hit Wood surrendered, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead and ending the Dodgers' deepest no-hit bid in World Series history.

Morton surrendered one hit, a game-opening single by Chris Taylor, while striking out 7 in facing the minimum 15 batters over 5 innings.

Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel was still playing in the World Series despite a racist gesture in the dugout on Friday, October 27 aimed at Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish of the Dodgers.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred gave Gurriel a 5-game ban at the start of the 2018 season for actions caught by television cameras rather than suspend him for any World Series contests. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers once again subjected the University Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers to a blowout victory, 94-59, on Sunday, October 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Green Archers reset the record for the biggest margin of victory of the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament with their 35-point win. The previous record was their 29-point victory over the Growling Tigers in the first round. 

The win allows the Green Archers to inch towards clinching a twice-to-beat advantage, which is dependent on results of the game between the Adamson Soaring Falcons vs the National University (NU) Bulldogs later today.

A loss by the Adamson Falcons to the Bulldogs will secure the twice-to-beat advantage for the Green Archers. 

The Growling Tigers were able to start strong against Green Archers as Marvin Lee and Steve Akomo led the scoring. Back-to-back buckets from Ben Mbala gave the Green Archers the lead in the last 2:58 minutes of the first. 

UST was unable to stay close to the Green Archers, as the defending champions outscored the Growling Tigers 25-8 in the second quarter.

The Green Archers began their domination with a 14-0 run that pulled away the lead, capped off by a Ricci Rivero 3-point play.

The Taft-based squad further crushed the Growling Tigers in a stretch that saw the lead swell to 42 points via back-to-back triples by Aljun Melecio with 6:30 left in the game. 

Lee made most out of his time in the final quarter by sinking the first two triples of the Growling Tigers in this match to help outscore the Green Archers 18-17 in the final frame alone. 

The Green Archers have now defeated UST by an average of 36.25 points in their last 4 meetings over the past two seasons.

Mbala continued to lead the Green Archers, scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Ricci Rivero followed closely with 16 points and 7 boards. 

Lee scored his season-high of 25 points for the Growling Tigers, while grabbing 7 rebounds. 

This win puts the Green Archers at a 10-2 record, while the Growling Tigers remain winless at 0-12 record in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball standings.

The Scores

DLSU (94) – Mbala 17, Rivero R 16, Go 12, Rivero P 10, Tratter 8, Caracut 7, Melecio 6, Santillan 6, Capacio 5, Baltazar 4, Montalbo 2, Paraiso 1, Tero 0, Gonzales 0.

UST (59) – Lee 25, Akomo 14, Sta. Ana 4, De Guzman 4, Basibas 4, Escalambre 4, Macasaet 2, Soriano 2, Faundo 0, Caunan 0, Romero 0, Kwawukumey 0.

Quarter Scores: 20-16, 45-24, 77-41, 94-59. 

 – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - There was no surprise in who the San Miguel Beermen picked with their first overall selection in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft, nabbing Filipino-German player Christian Standhardinger on Sunday, October 29 at Robinsons Place Manila.

Standhardinger, 28, made an impression on Filipino fans over the past year, representing the Philippines in the 2017 William Jones Cup and FIBA Asia Cup, plus the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Standhardinger played his college ball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and went unpicked in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The Munich-born Standhardinger is the fourth straight Fil-foreigner to be picked first overall in the PBA, dating back to 2013, and not including 2016 which saw Gilas pool players distributed in a special draft with terms not publicly disclosed.

The Beermen obtained the top pick in a much-criticized deal that sent JR Reyes, Rashawn McCarthy, Ronald Tubid and San Miguel’s 2019 first round pick to Kia Picanto, giving a boost to a Beerman squad that had 4 of its starters in this season's Mythical 5 team, plus June Mar Fajardo named MVP for a fourth straight season, and fell just one title short of winning a Grand Slam.

"I’m gonna bring my best, they’re pretty good already but I’m gonna do my best in rebounding like you guys saw me playing for the Gilas national team," said the 6-foot-7 Standhardinger after being picked. "I think if I give my all I can also help to make the team maybe a little bit better."

The NLEX Road Warriors selected Kiefer Ravena, the ultra-popular Ateneo Blue Eagles star, with the second overall pick while Blackwater picked Raymar Jose of the FEU Tamaraws third. Former De La Salle Green Archers Jason Perkins and Jeron Teng were picked fourth and fifth by the Phoenix Fuelmasters and Alaska Aces, respectively.

In other picks, Globalport selected Robert Herndon sixth, followed by Rain or Shine selecting Rey Nambatac seventh, Sidney Onwubere being picked eighth by Phoenix and Lervin Flores being picked ninth by the Star Hotshots.

TNT KaTropa owned the tenth and eleventh picks, selecting Mark Tallo and Jon Gabriel back-to-back. Barangay Ginebra, winner of the most recent championship in the Governors' Cup, picked Jett Manuel twelfth.

In all, 44 players were picked, and PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa announced that it was the first time that all applicants had been selected in a draft.

Second round: 1. John Grospe (NLEX), 2. Joseph Gabayni (Star), 3. Emil Palma (Blackwater), 4. Julian Sargent (Star), 5. Louie Vigil (San Miguel), 6. Davon Potts (Alaska), 7. Jomari Sollano (Rain or Shine), 8. Gwyne Capacio (Star), 9. Jayson Grimaldo, 10. Monbert Arong (TNT), 11. Wilson Baltazar (Phoenix), 12. Andreas Cahilig (Globalport). 

Third round: 1. Christian De Chavez (Kia), 2. Gabriel Dagangon (NLEX), 3. Ebrahim Enguio (Blackwater), 4. Roldan Sara (Phoenix), 5. Zachary Nicholls (Globalport), 6. Alaska (passed), 7. Michael Juico (Rain or Shine), 8. Jebb Bulawan (Meralco), 9. Thomas Torres (Star), 10. Dave Moralde (TNT), 11. Jerome Ortega (San Miguel), 12. Elmer Cabahug (Ginebra).

Fourth round: 1. Arvie Bringas (Kia), Felix Apreku Jr (NLEX), Kyle Neypes (Blackwater), John Casiño (Phoenix), Gian Abrigo (Globalport), 11. Joseph Nalos (San Miguel).

Fifth round: 1. Christian Geronimo (Kia), Jon Sumido (Blackwater). – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Adamson Soaring Falcons triumphed over the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 90-77, to secure sole possession of third place in the standings on Sunday, October 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

The Soaring Falcons took the win at the expense of the Bulldogs, who were also missing the services of their team captain Matt Salem who has been diagnosed with dengue on Friday, October 27. 

After Nick Abatayo drew first blood with an and-1 play in the opening moments of the game, Adamson never looked back as they replied with a strong 17-2 run in the first quarter that was ignited by Jerrick Ahanmisi's triple. 

Robbie Manalang connected on a step-back triple and completed the 4-point play in the last two seconds of the first quarter to bring the Soaring Falcons' lead to 20 points at the end of the first period. 

The Adamson Falcons waxed hot from beyond the arc as they drained a total of 11 triples by halftime, punctuated by Jordan Espeleta's buzzer beating halfcourt shot. 

After trailing the Falcons by 28 points in third, the Bulldogs made a desperation run in the final frame with their 22-4 run, capping it off with a J-jay Alejandro three-pointer to cut the deficit to 8, 78-70. But it was too little, too late as Adamson held on to victory.

Ahanmisi and Espeleta scored 16 points apiece and sank 4 triples each for the Soaring Falcons. Papi Sarr recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. 

Alejandro led the Bulldogs with a double-double of his own of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while passing out 3 assists. 

The Adamson Falcons bring their record to 8-4 while the Bulldogs fall to 4-5 in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball standings.

The Scores

AdU (90) – Ahanmisi 16, Espeleta 16, Sarr 14, Manalang 14, Pingoy 7, Manganti 7, Lojera 5, Camacho 4, Mustre 3, Bernardo 2, Zaldivar 2, Ochea 0, Hill 0, Paranada 0, Chua 0.

NU (77) – Alejandro 18, Diputado 14, Yu 8, Mosqueda 7, Tibayan 6, Morido 6, Abatayo 5, Aquino 4, Cauilan 3, Joson 2, Gaye 2, Rangel 2, Lastimosa 0, Bartlett 0.

Quarter Scores: 32-12, 57-35, 72-48, 90-77. 

– Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – True to their name for once in a long while, the third-seeded Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons kept soaring high after dropping the listless National University (NU) Bulldogs, 90-77, on Sunday, October 29 for their 8th win in 12 games.

With co-captain Matt Salem out sick for the 6th place but still-competing Bulldogs, the Falcons pounced early and hard with an endless barrage of threes, ending with 32 points and a 20-point lead in the first frame alone. By halftime, 3 Adamson players were already in double-digit points as they cruised to a comfortable 57-35 lead.

The story of the game didn’t change until the final few minutes of the 4th quarter, when co-captain Jayjay Alejandro and Rev Diputado combined for 19 of the Bulldogs’ 29-point period. With their lead almost erased, Jerrick Ahanmisi pulled up a jumper as the Falcons stretched the lead to 85-72.

For the second straight game, the red-hot Ahanmisi topscored for Adamson with 16 points on a 4-of-8 clip from downtown. After leading with 21 points on 3-of-7 treys last game, that puts him at a total of 7 made threes in 15 tries from beyond the arc, for a 46.7% 3PT percentage over two games. Incidentally, the Falcons are on a two-game winning streak heading into the season’s crucial home stretch.

Ahanmisi credits this to the arrival of the league’s new top thief, Jerie Pingoy. Along with the graduating Rob Manalang, Pingoy has created a deadly backcourt combination of double floor generals with high basketball IQ and reliable shooting.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Ahanmisi of the addition. “He’s a great facilitator. He’s a great passer also. For him, [it’s good] as long as he could be passing and also creating for other people.”

A true testament of this development is tonight’s game, where Pingoy and Manalang combined for 10 of the team’s 22 total assists. NU as a whole only had 5 more helpers than the Falcon point guards.

For shooters like Ahanmisi, having two great passers at least for this season makes the game almost too easy. Heading full speed into their second-straight Final Four appearance, Adamson will surely appreciate all the leadership they can get. – Rappler.com