Alas Pilipinas falls short of Asian Games volleyball quarterfinals

The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA bounced back from its opening day loss to Colegio de San Juan de Letran and defeated Emilio Aguinaldo College, 83-72, on Thursday in NCAA Season 102.

MANILA, Philippines — University of Perpetual Help System Dalta bounced back from an opening day setback with an emphatic 83-72 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) in Season 102 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Thursday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Perpetual Help started its season campaign with an 84-77  loss to Colegio de San Juan de Letran last Sunday but played well against EAC to enter the win column. On Thursday, Mark Gojo Cruz lifted the Altas with impressive numbers of 16 points, four rebounds and six assists. Altas head coach Olsen Racela lauded Gojo Cruz for staying out of foul trouble against the Generals.  “In the first game against Letran is that the team lost composure and this time we played more solid. We mounted enough points to get away against EAC,” Racela said.  “Also, Gojo Cruz delivered today and he was not in foul trouble so that’s good too.” Angelo Gelsano added 17 points and LA Casinillo chipped in 16 points for Perpetual Help. Juan Tulabut and Rey Maglupay also scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. The Altas won the game despite making 21 turnovers compared to only 10 by  EAC. The Generals banked on EJ Castillo who scored 19 points and Harvae Raymundo who netted 17.

MANILA, Philippines — Rupert Zaragosa returns to Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club on Monday (Sept. 21) with a chance to turn a remarkable run of success into Philippine Golf Tour history. The diminutive but gifted shotmaker goes after a third straight ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic title at what is known as the Marapara layout, where he has developed what is beginning to look like a special romance with one of the Tour’s toughest layouts. Zaragosa first cracked the code of the tight, demanding Marapara course in 2024, charging to the top early and eventually claiming an abbreviated 36-hole victory after bad weather forced the tournament to be reduced by half. He proved that triumph was no one-off a year later. Playing the full 72 holes, Zaragosa again emerged on top, holding off a formidable cast led by Clyde Mondilla, Keanu Jahns and young stalwart Aidric Chan to win by two strokes. Now he returns seeking a third consecutive victory on the same course – a feat that would further cement his remarkable affinity with Marapara and put him in position to become the first player on the Tour to win the same event three straight times at the same venue. Marapara has become something of a Zaragosa story, with the course seemingly bringing out the best in a player whose strengths – shotmaking, touch around the greens and an ability to plot his way around trouble – fit the demands of the layout. But there is little room for complacency. Zaragosa enters the P2.5-million championship with confidence, yet his results in the first five legs of the season have been uneven as he continues to search for consistency, particularly on more open layouts where length off the tee becomes a bigger factor. He placed eighth at Lakewood, tied for 31st at Caliraya Springs, finished fourth at Pinewoods, tied for sixth at Pradera Verde and slipped to joint 29th at Summit Point last week. Marapara, however, presents an entirely different challenge – and perhaps a setting where Zaragosa feels most at home. The narrow and exacting layout puts a premium on course management, accuracy, the short game and sound decision-making rather than sheer power. Zaragosa and the rest of the field will get one final look at the course during Sunday’s traditional pro-am before the rare Monday start. Still, standing between Zaragosa and a third straight crown is a deep field, led by a host of proven winners and determined contenders are likewise in the hunt, among them Tony Lascuña, Reymon Jaraula, Jhonnel Ababa, Fidel Concepcion, Enrico Gallardo, Jay Bayron, Mars Pucay and Dino Villanueva. The younger generation will also look to make its mark, with Kristoffer Arevalo, Russell Bautista, Jeffren Lumbo and Gab Manotoc among those expected to challenge for the title. Several leading players, however, will sit out the Negros stop as they compete on the regional circuit in Taiwan this week, including Justin Quiban, Carl Corpus and Chan. Angelo Que, fresh from his victory at Summit Point, is also competing in Taiwan. But the reigning Order of Merit champion and three-time Asian Tour winner said he will still play in Negros, although he will skip Sunday’s pro-am. He nevertheless offered a simple formula for success at Marapara. “For Marapara, one really needs to keep the ball in play off the tee,” said Que, who is expected to return to Manila on Sunday night. And that may be precisely where Zaragosa’s Marapara romance gives him an edge. For two straight years, he has found the right answers on a course that demands patience and precision at every turn. On Monday, he gets another chance to show that what began as an unexpected triumph in 2024 has blossomed into a genuine Marapara mastery. TMT

The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles opened their UAAP Season 89 campaign with a 101-74 victory over the University of the East, starting the season on a high note months after the tragic June 8 incident that led to the untimely passing of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia.

As the parents of the late Divine Adili visit the Philippines this week, one of their activities included meeting Divine"s former teammates at the Ateneo de Manila University.

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament     Perpetual def. EAC, 83-72 Mark Gojo Cruz Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

The Gilas Pilipinas Women opened their 2026 Asian Games campaign with a big 86-58 victory over Kazakhstan on Thursday in Japan.

SYDNEY, Australia — A river home to crocodiles was approved Thursday as the 2032 Brisbane Olympics rowing and canoeing venue by the sport's governing bodies after a "thorough and robust assessment". The Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, around 600 kilometres (372 miles) north of Queensland state capital Brisbane, which will be the Olympics hub, is a controversial choice. While a saltwater crocodile habitat, the main concerns were around technical specifications and the venue's fairness. The river is prone to flooding and has strong currents that can create uneven competition conditions, while a lack of accommodation options for rowers and spectators was also an issue. Thousands of people signed a petition to have the events moved to a purpose‑built facility nearer to Brisbane. But an independent assessment declared it fit for purpose and it was endorsed by governing bodies World Rowing and Paddle Worldwide (formerly International Canoe Federation), along with Olympic organisers. World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland said ensuring fair and equal conditions for athletes was the driver in requesting a "thorough and robust" assessment, which looked at river flows, water levels, and wind conditions among other issues. "Based on the extensive analysis undertaken, we now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games, consistent with the requirements of Olympic and Paralympic Rowing," he said in a statement. Paddle Worldwide President Thomas Konietzko was equally enthusiastic. "The quality and depth of the technical work undertaken has significantly improved our understanding of the field of play and provides confidence to us and our athletes that the course can deliver fair competition for Canoe Sprint athletes," he said. The threat from crocodiles was not addressed in the assessment but officials have previously said there will be "processes in place" for reporting sightings. Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris last year played down the issue. "There are sharks in the ocean and we're still surfing ... it's a can do, not a can't do, please change the mindset here," he said when asked about the issue. Sightings in the Fitzroy are only occasional, with the apex predators more prevalent further north. "I thank both Jean-Christophe, Thomas and their teams for their expertise and collaboration as preparations continue at pace ahead of our Games in just under six years' time," Liveris said on Thursday. "The endorsement provides additional certainty as we move into the next phase of venue planning and Games delivery, ensuring all future design and operational work continues to focus solely on Rockhampton."

MADRID, Spain — Retired Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal will return to the court in front of a crowd for the first time since retirement in October to celebrate his academy's 10th anniversary. The Rafa Nadal Academy confirmed Wednesday the 40-year-old, who won 22 Grand Slams in a glittering career before retiring in November 2024, will participate in some exhibition matches. Nadal will compete at his academy in his home town Manacor in Mallorca "in a series of exhibition matches together with big names from the sport", said the academy in a statement. The other players will be announced in the coming days, and will be "some of his rivals and friends who have accompanied him throughout his career". A clay court expert, Nadal won the French Open 14 times in a remarkable career which spanned more than 20 years.

NAGOYA, Japan — Accommodation for Asian Games athletes in Japan is "functional" and efforts are being made to deal with numerous complaints from disgruntled teams, a chief organiser told AFP. More than 17,000 competitors and officials are expected at the continent's biggest sporting spectacular, which opens on Saturday in Nagoya. In a bid to cut costs, organisers are housing athletes and officials in temporary accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to hotel rooms. The plan has run into immediate problems, with South Korean officials branding the container huts the "worst ever" and saying the beds are too short. An official from another team told AFP that he entered the facility, took one look at the arrangement and booked a hotel room instead. Several countries have also complained about a shortage of accommodation. Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, organising committee president Hideaki Omura said efforts are being made to ensure athletes are comfortable. "If there are different opinions then we will respond to them appropriately," said Omura, who also serves as governor of Aichi prefecture. "At this point, while we are responding to individual opinions, we have been improving everything as issues arise and we will continue to respond that way." Byeon Jun-hyeong, a player with South Korea's men's basketball team, posted a video on social media showing a leaking sink and soaked floor in his hut accommodation. He posted the caption, "Please help us". Hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation last week as record rainfall lashed Nagoya. About 2,000 people are supposed to stay in the huts. Cruise control  Omura said plans for the huts, which were built this year, had been given a favourable assessment by a committee of former athletes, including Olympians. "We explained everything to them and had them take a look around, and they said it looked functional and good," he said. About 4,000 athletes and officials will also stay on the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which arrived in Nagoya on Tuesday. Cruise ships have been used previously as accommodation at international sports events but never on this scale. The Asian Games are taking place at a time when typhoons are common in Japan, and Nagoya has experienced heavy rainfall in recent weeks. Omura said the priority was to keep athletes and officials on board safe. "We believe we can provide accommodation that guarantees athletes' safety and allows them to deliver their best performance," he said. Slow sales Athletes from 45 countries and territories will compete in more than 40 sports across over two weeks. Omura said ticket sales were going "fairly well", especially for the marquee events. But he admitted that lesser-known sports had yet to capture the Japanese public's imagination. That includes cricket, which is practically unknown in Japan. "India have a superstar cricket squad coming and Indian residents in Japan are saying, 'I can't believe we get to watch matches like this', but ticket sales haven't been very strong," said Omura. "A lot of people in Japan have never seen cricket, so I really hope they take this chance and go and watch." Events at the Games including basketball and football have been under way since last week. Omura said he was in attendance as the first action began when Qatar took on Iran in men's basketball. After watching a physical contest, Omura said he hoped the Games would help Asia "reaffirm its bonds of friendship through sport". "Iran and Qatar are in a situation where missiles are flying back and forth but they can still play basketball together," he said. "Without the Asian Games you couldn't have a game like that."

The Alas Pilipinas Women put up a gallant stand but fell short against Kazakhstan, 27-29, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19, on Thursday at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

Rene Baterbonia"s mom, Rovelyn, was on the sidelines of the UAAP Season 89 game between the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.