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PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. But not only will the Bolts face the pressure of a tied series, they will enter the 7:30 p.m. contest in urgent need of a plan to figure out how to counter the adjustments San Miguel made in getting a 111-101 win two nights earlier.

The scoreline already offers a clue to how the Beermen succeeded in solving the Bolts defensive schemes. For the first time in the series, a team won by scoring at least 100 points.

A grindout, defensive affair has often favored the Bolts throughout their playoff run, and that was the reason Meralco won two of the first three games of the Finals.

But the Beermen finally showed their offensive juggernaut that they have been known for throughout the two-conference season.

June Mar Fajardo’s 28 points epitomized why there are now cracks in the vaunted Meralco defense that centered on making life miserable for the newly crowned Best Player of the Conference, while CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter continued their consistent form in the series.

Balanced offense is key

And then the minutes provided by Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo, who both played for the first time in the Finals, also proved vital.

“[San Miguel scoring 111 points] is definitely more than what we’re used to giving up,” Newsome said. “We have to go back and play Meralco basketball which is defensive-minded and I think we lost a bit of that [in Game 4].”Balanced offense will also be key for the Bolts as Newsome’s scoring output overshadowed a lack of support from some of the team’s key sources for baskets.

Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto could only combine for 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting in Game 4. Both had scoring averages of at least 10 in the first three games.

Beermen coach Jorge Gallent wouldn’t mind making that a trend.

“As long as the rest don’t score, we’re fine,” said Gallent, who will also be wary of other Meralco players picking up the slack like Cliff Hodge.

Aside from being a pest on defense, Hodge has put up 14.8 points a game in the Finals, third on the team behind Newsome and guard Chris Banchero (16.3).

Alas Pilipinas girls lose chance to reach final of Thailand tilt

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Alas Pilipinas girls during a game against Indonesia in the Princess Cup Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship in Thailand.–Photo from SMM Volleyball

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas girls missed a chance to reach the 22nd Princess Cup Southeast Asian Under-18 Women’s Volleyball final after getting swept by Indonesia, 22-25, 18-25, 19-25, on Wednesday at Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Thailand.

The Indonesians were too much for the Filipino Spikers as they finished second in the preliminary round with a 4-1 record, forging a winner-take-all duel against host Thailand on Thursday.

The national youth team kept it close late in the opening set behind the efforts of Harlyn Serneche, Denesse Daylisan, and Avril Bron to cut it down to 22-24 but Azzahra Dwi Febyane delivered the set-clinching hit off the Filipino blockers to draw first blood.

READ: Alas Pilipinas girls bounce back, stay in title hunt

The Indonesians dominated the last two sets to book a trip to the final.

Alas, led by Kimberly Rubin, finished the preliminary with a 3-2 record in third place, battling the No.4 seed for the bronze medal on Thursday at 3 p.m. (Manila time).

Australia and Malaysia, tied at 3-1, were still disputing the fourth seed as of posting time, facing Singapore and unbeaten Thailand, respectively.

READ: Alas Pilipinas girls off to 2-0 start in Thailand tournament

The Philippines beat both squads in the prelims, following a 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19 win over Australia less than 24 hours ago.

Japanese coach Taka Minowa still has a chance to reach the podium in his debut stint as a national youth tactician for Alas.

Alas girls will also compete in the Asian Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship from June 16 to 23 at the same venue.

San Miguel gets back at Meralco to tie series at 2-2

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San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo steers his team in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer put the PBA Philippine Cup Finals back on level terms with a collective effort that defeated Meralco, 111-101, Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

June Mar Fajardo had 28 points and 13 rebounds on the night he was hailed the Best Player of the Conference, but there were many players who stepped up in putting the series at two games apiece.

“Credit to Meralco, not only for the way it’s defending me, but the whole team,” Fajardo said.

CJ Perez produced 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Marcio Lassiter knocked down 18 points on four threes, but among the vital reasons for San Miguel’s triumph was the decision to insert Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4.

San Miguel Beermen guard Terrence Romeo suits up in PBA Finals Game 4. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Manuel scored eight points in seven minutes while Romeo had seven points. Both players saw action for the first time in the PBA Finals.

Game 5 is set Friday at the same venue, with the winner gaining a 3-2 lead and closer to ending Season 48 with a championship.

The Beermen won despite allowing Bolts leader Chris Newsome to score a career-high 40 points.

Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge and Brandon Bates also stepped up, but the lack of supporting cast hounded Meralco, which spent the Independence Day clash trying to catch up after trailing 23-9 at the start.

Allein Maliksi, Bong Quinto and Raymond Almazan struggled from the field.

Meralco’s closest gap was two during the third, but San Miguel had every answer to the Bolts’ resistance.

The scores:

SAN MIGUEL 111—Fajardo 28, Perez 22, Lassiter 18, Tautuaa 9, Trollano 8, Manuel 8, Romeo 7, Ross 6, Cruz 5, Brondial 0, Teng 0.

MERALCO 101—Newsome 40, Banchero 21, Hodge 17, Maliksi 9, Quinto 6, Bates 4, Almazan 2, Rios 2, Caram 0, Torres 0.

Quarters: 29-22, 51-40, 82-74, 111-101.

Luka Doncic fouls out, Mavericks fall into 3-0 hole

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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on as referee John Conley (79) gives a review on a play against the Boston Celtics during the second half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball finals, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Dallas. Doncic fouled out in the fourth quarter. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

SCHEDULE: NBA Finals 2024 Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks

DALLAS— Luka Doncic tried to set his feet just beyond the 3-point line as the Dallas Mavericks were making a furious comeback attempt.

The superstar in his first NBA Finals was defending Jaylen Brown when the Boston guard dribbled between his legs, ducked his shoulder and made contact that sent both players hard to the ground with 4:12 left in the game. The foul was called against Doncic, who sat on the floor in disbelief with both of his arms stretched up into the air.

It was Doncic’s sixth foul of the game, his fourth in the fourth quarter, and his night was done after coach Jason Kidd’s unsuccessful challenge of the call. The Mavericks also were pretty much done for the game — and maybe the series as well — after the Boston Celtics won 106-99 on Wednesday night to go up 3-0 in the series.

“Yeah, we had a good chance. We were close. Just didn’t get it,” Doncic said. “I wish I was out there.”

READ: Celtics hold off Mavericks for commanding 3-0 NBA Finals lead

The Mavericks are now in a maybe impossible hole in these NBA Finals, after almost crawling all the way out of a big one before Doncic fouled out. They had a 22-2 run that began not long after his first foul of the quarter, and ended soon after he was sitting on the bench.

This is the 157th time a team has lost the first three games in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series. None of them has ever come back to win the series and only four have even forced a Game 7 — and the only time that happened in the NBA Finals was in 1951 by the New York Knicks.

Doncic had 27 points despite going only 1 of 7 on 3-pointers before he fouled out for only the third time in his six NBA seasons — 400 regular-season games and 51 more in the playoffs. He had never had four fouls in the same quarter before his whistle-plagued 7 1/2-minute span.

“I mean, I don’t know. We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing,” Doncic said.

“You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this,” he said, motioning with his palms held out. “C’mon, man. Better than that.”

READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic triple-double not enough for Mavericks

Brown missed a 13-foot shot after the replay challenge, and the Mavericks — who had charged out to a 22-9 lead in the first 6:12 of the game — got a 17-foot jumper from Kyrie Irving to get within 93-92 with 3:37 left. That was the closest they got before Brown tipped in a miss by Jayson Tatum.

Doncic’s sixth foul came only 26 seconds after his fifth, also a play involving Brown when it appeared the Celtics guard may have hooked Doncic.

“Yeah, it looked … looks can be deceiving,” Kidd said.

There was no challenge then, but Kidd certainly had to try on the next one in an effort to keep Doncic in the game.

“I was stuck. I had to challenge it,” Kidd said. “Had to challenge because it was a close call. But the referee called it a foul. Got to move on, move forward.”

Game 4 is Friday night, and the Mavericks have to win just to send the series back to Boston.

“It’s not over till it’s over. We just got to believe. Like I always say, it’s first to four,” Doncic said. “We’re going to stay together. We lose together, we win together. So we got to stay together.”

Chris Newsome career-best down the drain with Game 4 loss

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco

MANILA, Philippines—It may have been a career night for Chris Newsome, but that was the last thing on his mind after Meralco Bolts’ ‘ Game 4 loss to San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Newsome scored a career best 40 points  only for the Bolts to lose to the Beermen and have the series pushed back to square one at 2-2.

“They made their adjustments. That’s what a playoff series is all about. They definitely came with a lot more energy today and you certainly saw it,” said Newsome.

“111? That’s definitely more than we’re used to giving up so for us it’s back to the drawing board and get back to playing Meralco basketball.”

READ: PBA Finals: San Miguel gets back at Meralco to tie series at 2-2

The final count is the largest scoring output for both squads, putting Meralco’s defensive prowess to shame.

Other than 40 points, Newsome also snagged six rebounds and four assists but it still wasn’t enough to give the Bolts the commanding 3-1 lead.

Instead of celebrating his new career milestone, Newsome chose to look ahead to Game 5 where the Bolts can take the pivotal 3-2 lead.

“It’s a best-of-three now l it’s going to come down to who’s playing the best  basketball at the right time. It’’s a tough loss for us today but that’s why we got the win in the last game, to have that advantage. We’re back to square one. It’s back to square one.”

“It’s going to be a grind out for the rest of the series.”

Meralco and San Miguel go at it again on Friday to see who gets the commanding 3-2 lead.

Amid expectations, Shaina Nitura focused on getting better

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Adamson’s Shaina Nitura.–Photo from SGVIL

MANILA, Philippines — Shaina Nitura ended her high school career with another perfect championship run with Adamson in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League.

Expectations are higher for Nitura after capping off her high school career with an unbeaten title run with the Baby Lady Falcons in the UAAP Season 86 girls’ volleyball tournament along with an MVP award before moving up to the collegiate ranks.

All eyes are on her, but the blue-chip rookie chooses to focus on helping the Adamson women’s team, which missed the UAAP Final Four last season.

“I’ll just be who I am. I don’t really care much about what others think because the more I stress over that stuff, the more I think about college coming up, and the more I stress, the worse I play. So, I’m just gonna focus on getting better as time goes on.”

READ: Adamson caps dominant stint with Shakey’s Girls volleyball crown

Nitura is grateful to have high school coach JP Yude, who will continue to guide her at the collegiate level with her graduating teammates Mary Grace Del Moral and Felicity Sagaysay.

“I chose to stick with Adamson and our coach. I’m really lucky because having a coach like him is rare. I can’t really put it into words, but all I know is he’s something else. God works through him to guide us and bring out our true potential.”

Yude praised the winning legacy left by Nitura in the high school ranks but he wants his longtime player to keep her feet on the ground as she continues to scratch the surface of her potential. 

“I’m really happy that the Lord gave her that talent, and she’s using it in such a positive way, bringing her teammates along with her with her attitude. Honestly, I’m always encouraging her because her attitude towards the game is something rare.”

“I always remind her that even though she’s achieved that much, she still needs to be humble, she needs to work all the time, not let pride get to her head, she needs to work every time to be a good example to her teammates and to lead them too,” he added.

Yude is elated to have Nitura in time for the Lady Falcons’ rebuild but losing three key players also poses a tough challenge to his high school team.

“A big loss awaits us in the coming UAAP, but we’ll work hard for it. I know those who will remain will step up even more because their Ate Shai will be leaving,” he said.

Kevin Quiambao, Kent Pastrana banner collegiate Mythical teams

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UST’s Kent Pastrana and La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao. –INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines — La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao and UST’s Kent Pastrana banner the two Mythical Teams to be honored in the Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night on Monday evening at Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas, Pasig.

The 5-foot-7 Pastrana powered the Golden Tigresses to their first basketball title in 17 years to headline the first-ever Women’s Basketball Mythical Team in the annual collegiate rites also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

She proved a steady force on the offensive end as the ace guard led the Growling Tigresses in ending the seven-year dynasty of the NU Lady Bulldogs in three thrilling games in the finals.

READ: Kevin Quiambao reiterates commitment to La Salle

Pastrana was also named the UAAP Season 86 Player of the Year for Team Events by the league on top of making it to the UAAP Season 86 Mythical Five.

For the CPC’s historic award, Pastrana will be joined by her teammate and Season 86 Finals MVP Tantoy Ferrer, FEU Lady Tamaraws’ Josee Kaputu, Rookie of the Year in UP Fighting Maroons’ Favour Onoh, and Season MVP in Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa.

Quiambao, for his part, clinched a golden double by becoming the UAAP Season MVP and Finals MVP to undisputedly lead the Mythical Team in the men’s side featuring the best ballers from the UAAP Season 86 and NCAA Season 99.

The 6-foot-7 forward led the Green Archers to a dry spell-busting championship against the UP Fighting Maroons, also in three games, to take the Green Archers to their first title since 2016.

Mapua’s Clint Escamis, the NCAA Season 99 Rookie of the Year-MVP, UP’s Malick Diouf, Lyceum’s Enoch Valdez, and former San Beda Red Lion Jacob Cortez complete the CPC Men’s Basketball Mythical Team.

Standout coaches to be feted by Collegiate Press Corps

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UST Growling Tigresses coach Haydee Ong. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) will honor seven of the best coaches, led by mentors in volleyball and women’s basketball for the first time when it stages its annual Awards Night at Discovery Suites Manila on Monday

The CPC added five more recipients for the prestigious Coach of the Year Awards following the UAAP Season 86 and NCAA Season 99 to join the group’s list of staple recognitions headlined by mentors from men’s basketball.

Haydee Ong of the University of Santo Tomas will be hailed as the UAAP Women’s Basketball COTY after steering the Growling Tigresses to their first UAAP title in 16 years, ending the seven-peat reign of no less than the National University Lady Bulldogs.

READ: How Haydee Ong transformed UST Tigresses into becoming NU’s downfall

The CPC will also honor the stellar rise of volleyball coaches in both collegiate leagues for the first time in the grand ceremony.

Over at the UAAP, NU’s coach Dante Alinsunurin will be named the Men’s Volleyball COTY for winning a dynastic four-peat with the Bulldogs following a sweep of the UST Golden Spikers in the finals.

Norman Miguel, for his part, will take home the UAAP Women’s Volleyball COTY plum for bringing the Lady Bulldogs back to the promised land after missing out on the championship last year at the hands of La Salle. Miguel pushed NU back to the crown in dominant fashion, sweeping the Golden Tigresses in the process.

The NCAA had no shortage of coaching greatness as well with Sammy Acaylar of Perpetual Help winning the NCAA Men’s Volleyball COTY. Acaylar showed his mettle in the coaching post after pushing the Altas to 11-0 sweep all the way to the NCAA Season 99 crown for their fourth straight title.

Jerry Yee, on the other hand, will be the NCAA Women’s Volleyball COTY for authoring the College of St. Benilde’s three-peat, highlighted by 40-and-counting wins in a row.

In the traditional side of the awards, Topex Robinson will be feted with the UAAP Men’s Basketball COTY after steering La Salle to the Season 86 title at the expense of the University of the Philippines to snap a seven-year drought.

Yuri Escueta, meanwhile, will be the NCAA Men’s Basketball COTY after guiding San Beda to the Season 99 chip against all odds. Escueta and the Red Lions made the unthinkable by winning the whole tourney despite being the underdogs as the third seed, especially against Mapua in the finale.

Lionel Messi says Inter Miami will be ‘my last club’

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Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi reacts during the friendly soccer match between Vissel Kobe and Inter Miami CF at the National Stadium, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Lionel Messi says Inter Miami will be “my last club.”

The 36-year-old World Cup champion isn’t thinking about joining an Argentine club to write the last chapter of playing career.

“I think Inter Miami is going to be my last club. Today I think it is going to be my last club,” the Argentina captain said in an interview with ESPN.

Messi is preparing with his national team to compete in the Copa América in the United States. Argentina is the defending champion.

READ: Messi wins record eighth Ballon d’Or for best player in the world

The former Barcelona star has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume by leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar in 2022.

He has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and left European football last year to join the MLS club.

Messi’s contract with Inter Miami is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.

“It was a difficult step to leave Europe to come here,” he said. “Having become a world champion helped a lot, and also to see things differently. But I don’t think about it. I try to enjoy. That’s why I enjoy everything much more, because I am aware that there is less and less to go and I have a good time.”

READ: David Beckham: Lionel Messi will need time to adapt to MLS

Many Argentine fans hoped Messi would close his career with Newell’s Old Boys, the club where he began his training as a child in his native city of Rosario.

The star said he’s trying to enjoy the final stretch of his career to the fullest.

“I have a good time at the club, I am lucky enough to have teammates and friends (Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all former Barcelona players) by my side,” he said. “I had a good time in the national team, where I have teammates and friends too.

“I enjoy the little details that I know that when I don’t play anymore, I’m going to miss,” he added. “My whole life I did this. I love playing ball and I enjoy training, day-to-day life and match days. And yes, there is always the fear that everything will end.”