Sports

IDF announces name of fallen soldier

The IDF announced the death of Staff-Sergeant Ariel Tsym, 20-years-old, from Modi'in on Saturday. Tsym was a combat soldier in the 931st Battalion in the Nahal Brigade and was killed in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. His family was notified. Tsym was posthumously promoted from the rank of Staff-Sergeant to the rank of Sergeant. Fallen IDF soldi...

NBA: Nuggets even series with Timberwolves at 2-2

MINNEAPOLIS — Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon had 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting to propel the Denver Nuggets to a series-tying 115-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals. Jamal Murray had 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter for the Nuggets in a momentum carryover from his buzzer-beating swish from behind half court, and...

Nadal knocked out in Rome, eyes R. Garros

ROME – Rafael Nadal said Saturday that he is leaning towards playing at the Roland Garros despite his second-round elimination in Rome, as Novak Djokovic laughed off being hit by a bottle which briefly cast doubt on his continued participation. Clay court icon Nadal had previously said that he would only play at the French Open, where he has won a record 14 titles, if he feels competitive after a raft of injury problems over the last two years...

Fil-Am runner triumphs, warms up for Paris Olympics shot

Victoria Bossong won the women’s 800 meters in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships with very little opposition on Sunday and got the workout she needed for bigger tournaments heading back to the United States and then Europe where she could hopefully hit the Olympic qualifying standard. “It’s not the time that I wanted, but I’m fine with it,” Bossong, who timed two minutes and 9.56 seconds, said. “This is the first time I competed here...

Watch out for these 3 G-League prospects heading into the 2024 NBA Draft

COLUMN: Can Arwind catch career second wind at age 42?

Perhaps, but no longer with SMC or any powerhouse PBA team. Here's why

Laure, Rondina believe Tigresses can still fight even without Poyos

MANILA, Philippines — Former UST ace Eya Laure was in attendance in Game One of the Golden Tigresses - NU Lady Bulldogs UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball best-of-3 Finals series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, May 11. And like the thousands of fans watching at the venue and millions through their TVs and gadgets, Laure witnessed current UST star spiker Angge Poyos twisted her right ankle after stepping on teammate Em Banagua's foot in...

Marquez was "completely exhausted” when he reached Le Mans MotoGP win fight

Marc Marquez says he was "completely exhausted” by the time he reached the battle for victory in the MotoGP French Grand Prix having come from 13th on the grid.

Former Freemantle Docker Cam McCarthy tragically dies aged 29

Creamline pulls off ‘four-peat’ after ‘hardest’ PVL campaign

MANILA, Philippines — Times may have changed with the PVL competition reaching greater heights but Alyssa Valdez and the Creamline Cool Smashers still found a way to remain on top. Valdez did not see a lot of action in Game 2 after playing only in three out of the five sets to end up with only a point. But she still found herself at the service line for Creamline when it scored its last two points in the deciding fifth set that led to Bea De...

COLUMN: Under Guiao's guidance, Clarito shines

Guiao has a keen eye for talent

Terrafirma players so eager to shed 'loser' tag at long last

Dyip are winning and having fun - for a change

NBA: LeBron James attends Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — LeBron James attended Cleveland’s playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, an appearance certain to drive conversation about the superstar’s future. James, who can opt out of his contact with the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent this summer, played two stints in Cleveland. He led the Cavs to their only NBA championship in 2016 before leaving two years later. The league’s career scoring leader, James has...

Bernadeth Pons proves readiness for Creamline in PVL title clincher

MANILA, Philippines—Bernadeth Pons served as Creamline’s spark plug in its championship run in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference. Despite not being the primary option of the Cool Smashers, Pons still played an instrumental role in helping Creamline secure its eighth PVL crown. “I’m really just ready because we really can’t say how one player will play so anytime I get called, I’ll deliver and contribute to the team,” said Pons in Filipino...

Creamline somehow still found way to remain on top of PVL

Creamline’s most recent campaign in the Premier Volleyball League was far from perfect. But despite going through a lot of ups and downs in the All-Filipino Conference, the Cool Smashers proved that they are still the queens of volleyball after successfully defending their throne against sister team Choco Mucho, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11, in front of 23,162 witnesses on late Sunday night. “It wasn’t easy. We really had a difficult time...

Fil-Am hooper Dylan Harper shines in final 2024 CBB recruit rankings

In a sport defined by its stars, Filipino American hooper Dylan Harper has announced his arrival loud and clear, leaving a mark on the 2024 CBB (College Basketball) recruit rankings. In the latest release of 247Sports’ final composite rankings for the top men’s basketball recruits of the 2024 class, Harper has secured his place alongside Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey. The top five list reads as follows: Cooper Flagg, PF, Duke Ace Bailey, SF,...

PBA: Rain or Shine bounces back to even series vs TNT

MANILA, Philippines–With its top gun frosty once again, Rain or Shine on Sunday turned to its youth brigade to slip past TNT, 121-113, and bring their best-of-three PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal race to a decider. Jhonard Clarito set the tone early while Andrei Caracut put the finishing touches on the Elastopainters’ conquest of the Tropang Giga that leveled the short series to a game apiece. “The most important thing here is our team—a young...

AJ Edu on target to rejoin Gilas in Fiba Olympic qualifiers

Cone says he needs AJ Edu as a primary defender against Europe's best big men, including Latvia's Kristaps Porzingis

Lomachenko knocks out Kambosos to win IBF lightweight title

Ukrainian boxing great Vasiliy Lomachenko clinched the IBF lightweight world title on Sunday after producing a supreme performance to stop Australia’s George Kambosos in the 11th round in Perth. In the main event at a sold-out 15,000 RAC Arena, heavy favorite Lomachenko defied the rowdy home crowd and dominated throughout. Lomachenko left the Australian bloodied and sealed the 135-pound belt in the 11th round after dropping Kambosos several...

Brooke Van Sickle hailed PVL All-Filipino Conference MVP

MANILA, Philippines — In her very first stint in the Premier Volleyball League, Brooke Van Sickle shone the brightest, winning the 2024 All-Filipino Conference Most Valuable Player award. The Petro Gazz superstar poured it on in every statistical category, cracking the top 10 in spiking, blocking, serving, digging, and receiving while also leading the league in total points scored with 293 points on 242 attacks, 29 rejections, and 22 aces. Van...

PVL: Jia De Guzman proud of Kyle Negrito, Creamline

MANILA, Philippines — Jia De Guzman is mighty proud of Kyle Negrito and the Creamline Cool Smashers, who are on the cusp of winning their second PVL All-Filipino Conference title without her. De Guzman missed two conferences to fulfill her dream to play abroad with the Denso Airybees in Japan but Creamline has remained on top of the PVL, winning the 2023 second All-Filipino in December and inching a win closer to sweeping Choco Mucho this season...

PSC signs agreement with Filipino-Chinese federation

Philippine Sports Commissioner commissioner Matthew "Fritz" Gaston, representing PSC chairman Richard Bachmann, recently signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) and the government's sports agency. Also present during the signing were FCAAF founding president and chairman Jimmy Tan, its president Natalie Sia and its board of directors. Entering its 36th year, FCAAF continues to...

Real Madrid faces problem in Champions League final

Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League final at Wembley on 1 June last Tuesday. The Spanish club does face a problem for its home fans. Real Madrid can win the most important cup in European football for the 15th time, but it will have to get past Borussia Dortmund. For supporters who cannot make the journey to the venue of the final, Real set up large screens at its own Santiago Bernabéu in previous finals where they could watch the...

Just like the All-Filipino title, PVL attendance record stays put

MANILA, Philippines—If there was a number monitored intently on Sunday, it was 24,459–the all-time PVL attendance record set just last December in Game 2 of last year’s All-Filipino Conference Finals between Creamline and Choco Mucho at Araneta Coliseum. There was belief that Game 2 of the Cool Smashers and Flying Titans’ title rematch at the Big Dome would reset the mark. “Mukha, oo,” said coach Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes in Filipino after...

Going into KO game, Dyip still feel they have ‘nothing to lose’

Take the phrase “perennial doormat” out in describing Terrafirma, for the Dyip—no matter what happens in the next few days—deserve that. After taking down mighty San Miguel Beer in the first game of their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals series on Saturday, Dyip stalwarts Juami Tiongson and rookie Stephen Holt are well aware that repeating against the defending champions will be twice as hard. But both Dyip stars believe that pressure is not...

Kai Sotto doing 'some NBA things' prior to joining Gilas, says Cone

Kai in 'an NBA camp' as we speak, says Gilas coach

Chery Tiggo keeps bronze hopes alive after outlasting Petro Gazz in five-set thriller

MANILA, Philippines — The Chery Tiggo Crossovers orchestrated a reverse sweep over the Petro Gazz Angels, 16-25, 11-25, 25-13, 25-22, 18-16, to keep their podium finish hopes alive in the game 2 of the battle for bronze of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, May 12. The Crossovers banked on Eya Laure's triple-double performance of 26 points on 24 attacks and two blocks, 12...

Jema Galanza named PVL Finals MVP in Creamline’s latest title win

MANILA, Philippines — Jema Galanza earned her first Finals MVP after Creamline completed another series sweep of their sister team Choco Mucho in five sets in front of 23,162 fans on Sunday evening at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Galanza delivered another all-around game with 20 points and 16 excellent receptions as Creamline captured its eighth crown, pulling off a come-from-behind 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11 victory over Choco Mucho in Game...

Creamline fends off Choco Mucho to reign supreme in PVL AFC

MANILA, Philippines — All is well and it ends well for the Creamline Cool Smashers. Creamline outlasted its sister team Choco Mucho in five sets, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11 , to take their fourth consecutive title in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night, May 12. The Cool Smashers experienced a handful of painful first times in the conference: from a previous...

WNBA feeling ‘Caitlin Clark effect’ as season tips off

A new era for women’s basketball gets under way on Tuesday when Caitlin Clark makes her full professional debut for the Indiana Fever as the new WNBA season tips off. After a college career which rewrote the record books and shattered attendance and television viewing records, No.1 draft pick Clark will line up for Indiana’s season-opening road game against the Connecticut Sun. Anticipation for Clark’s regular season debut has already started to...

UAAP: Bella Belen praises NU crowd inside ‘QPav-like’ Araneta

MANILA, Philippines — Bella Belen was thrilled to hear National University’s faithful matching the energy of the University of Santo Tomas’ fans, who turned the Smart Araneta Coliseum like the Quadricentennial Pavilion with their cheers, in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball finals on Saturday. Belen and the Lady Bulldogs drew strength from the NU fans among the 20,955 gate attendance at the Big Dome after moving to the cusp of...

Star duos shine for Celtics, Mavs

LOS ANGELES – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 61 points to fire the Boston Celtics to a bounce-back NBA playoff win over Cleveland on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led Dallas over Oklahoma City. Tatum scored 33 points and Brown 28 as top seeds Boston, stunned by the Cavaliers on their home court in Game 2, beat the Cavs 106-93 in Cleveland to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference...

Sisi Rondina gets ‘surprise’ PH team call-up for AVC Challenge Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Sisi Rondina is set to make her indoor debut for the Philippine women’s volleyball team in the country’s hosting of the AVC Challenge Cup from May 22 to 29 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum. No rest for Rondina as she shifts her focus to leading the national team, which will be among the 10 countries competing in the continental tournament, after Choco Mucho ended up with another runner-up finish in the grueling 2024 PVL...

Cone sees Brownlee, Boatwright playing together in non-Fiba games

'They would fit like a glove,' says Gilas coach

History repeats itself even in bad way for Tigresses

Some University of Santo Tomas (UST) diehards had held up a sign during the Golden Tigresses’ Final Four match against De La Salle University that read: History Repeats, 5/5/2019. That streamer talked about how the Tigresses bundled out the defending champion Lady Spikers also in the same phase of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament that year. Surely, those fans want a different ending this season. But history certainly has a way of repeating...

PBA players show love for their MVP on Mother’s Day

MANILA, Philippines—PBA players expressed their full of gratitude to their moms for Mother’s Day. While the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs are in full effect, several players took time to honor their beloved mothers for their special day. SHAUN ILDEFONSO In a family where basketball is the blood life of the men included in it, the Ildefonsos are highly thankful for their mother who lights up the family household. Shaun, in particular, who’s been...

Alpha predators rule

MANILA, Philippines — The Creamline Cool Smashers, like everybody else, will get the rest that they deserve following one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conferences in PVL history. But there is a certain feeling among the Cool Smashers that when they return from their much needed respite, they will be back as the alpha predators, preying on opponents and collecting championships. “For now, celebrate muna, bawas stress, wala muna isip sa...

Ohtani leaves late in Dodgers' win over Padres

SAN DIEGO – Los Angeles Dodgers star designated hitter Shohei Ohtani left after his fourth at-bat in on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) with what manager Dave Roberts said was back tightness. Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk, grounding out to the pitcher in his final at-bat in the seventh inning. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández in the ninth. "His back tightened up," Roberts said. "So it was one of those things where I got word before...

NBA: Jayson Tatum, Celtics rebound to beat Cavaliers for 2-1 lead

CLEVELAND — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the Boston Celtics looked more like themselves after stumbling at home, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-93 on Saturday night in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. The top-seeded Celtics didn’t mess around after dropping Game 2 on their home parquet floor by 24. That lackluster performance — Boston was favored by double digits — was...

PVL: Bea De Leon says title point vs Choco Mucho ‘just a bonus’

MANILA, Philippines—Bea De Leon put the exclamation point in Creamline’s latest title win at the expense of Choco Mucho in Game 2 of the PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals on Sunday. De Leon delivered the championship-clinching point against her former team as the Cool Smashers claimed the fourth consecutive All-Filipino crown. The 27-year-old De Leon, however, refused to put some weight on the final play that capped her first campaign for...

PVL: Madayag can’t wait to have a healthy Choco Mucho back

MANILA, Philippines — Maddie Madayag felt a tinge of regret after falling short in extending the series but she remained proud of the Choco Mucho Flying Titans’ second straight silver in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference despite the injuries. Madayag shed tears after Choco Mucho blew a 2-1 lead as Creamline completed a series sweep in five sets, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11, in Game 2 before an ecstatic 23,162 crowd on Sunday evening at...

Toring a win away from personal redemption

(UPDATE) WHEN UST's Angge Poyos went down after twisting her right ankle following a block attempt in the second set of the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball Game 1 Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 11, Sheena Toring felt nervous. After all, she knew what it was like to be in that position, having suffered a partial tear on her left knee also in Game 1 of the NU-La Salle championship series last year that took place at the Big Dome as...

Tim Cone: 'I'm totally gulat!'

(UPDATE) TIM Cone admitted he was pleasantly surprised by how seemingly easy Barangay Ginebra disposed of long-time rival Magnolia, 99-77, on May 11 to advance to the PBA Philippine Cup best-of-five semifinal series. Heading into the game at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum, the American mentor said he was expecting a tense atmosphere, knowing full well that the Hotshots are capable of matching up against them on any given day. "I'm totally...

Clarito’s career night breathes life to Painters’ campaign

Jhonard Clarito, who admitted his desire to be picked by Yeng Guiao in the Rookie Draft but never happened two years ago, is glad to be flourishing under the same coach at Rain or Shine. And it was fitting that Clarito’s rise from a virtual unknown among casual PBA fans to one of Guiao’s latest hidden gems came on full display under the bright lights of the Philippine Cup quarterfinals by keeping Rain or Shine alive on Sunday in their series...

MVP Van Sickle looks forward to representing PH in international tourneys

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American spiker Brooke Van Sickle got herself a fruitful first tournament in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). Van Sickle claimed the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and led her team to a bronze medal finish in the just concluded 2024 All-Filipino Conference. "I'm just very grateful for my teammates. It's a six-man sport. I won't be able to do it without them. It's just icing on top, to be able to do a podium...

Cone expects Kai Sotto to hold his own vs big players in FIBA OQT

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas coach Tim Cone is confident that young big man Kai Sotto has the skills and the experience already to hold his own as the national side plays in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament in Riga, Latvia from July 2-7. Even at a tender age of 21 years old, the American mentor said he's impressed with the fact that Sotto already gained the experience after playing against bigger snd stronger Australian players in the NBL,...

UP opens Filoil preseason title defense with win over La Salle

MANILA, Philippines—University of the Philippines exacted revenge over La Salle to open their Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup title retention bid at San Juan Arena on Saturday. The last time the Fighting Maroons and the Green Archers squared up was in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 86 Finals where La Salle took home the crown behind the efforts of league MVP Kevin Quiambao. This time, though, the tandem of JD Cagulangan and Francis Lopez joined forces to...

Djokovic struck with bottle from stands in Rome

ROME – Novak Djokovic's fast start at the Rome Open was overshadowed on Friday after the tennis icon was struck with a hard plastic water bottle while greeting fans following his 6-3, 6-1 win over France's Corentin Moutet. World No. 1 Djokovic was left crouched on the ground in agony as the bottle hit him on the back of the head as he was signing autographs while he exited the center court at the Foro Italico. Djokovic was then led from the...

Brownlee back, leads Pelita Jaya to back-to-back wins

MANILA, Philippines — Justin Brownlee returned with much aplomb after powering Pelita Jaya to back-to-back victories in the 2024 Indonesian Basketball League over the weekend. Coming off a foot injury that grounded him for over a week, the 36-year-old Brownlee showed no signs of slowing down in his comeback game, firing a near triple-double effort of 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists as he joined forces with KJ McDaniels in pulling off the...

Hawks win NBA lottery in draft with no clear No. 1 pick

CHICAGO — The Atlanta Hawks came in facing slim odds. They walked away with their biggest victory in years. The Hawks won the NBA draft lottery on Sunday, landing the No. 1 pick and a potential cornerstone player in a year where there’s no clear-cut choice. “At least I can go home and tell my wife on Mother’s Day, ‘Hey, at least we won the lottery,’” general manager Landry Fields said. “That’s her present. Yeah, there we go.” The Hawks hit the...