Tag: chance

Greece opens strong; Doncic, Slovenia still have chance

On: By: admin


Giannis Antetokounmpo in Greece’s Fiba OQT game against Dominican Republic in Piraeus, Greece. –FIBA BASKETBALL PHOTO

Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like a player intent on leading Greece to its first Olympic berth since 2008.

Antetokounmpo had 32 points in 19 minutes, going 11 of 11 from the field, as Greece rolled to a 109-82 win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in Group B of the Piraeus, Greece Fiba OQT.

Thomas Walkup added 17 points for Greece, which led by as many as 27 and can advance to the semifinal round with a victory over Egypt on Thursday.

READ: Fiba OQT: Bahamas tops Finland in opener, Slovenia falls to Croatia

“Giannis loves to be here. He loves to represent his country,” Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis said. “He’s very humble. He’s part of the team. For a superstar you don’t find this easy. … He’s about winning.”

The tournament in Greece is one of four that opened Tuesday to settle the final four spots in the field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are ongoing in Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and the title games Sunday.

READ: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics in the Fiba OQT

An appearance in the Olympics is one of the few things Antetokounmpo has yet to accomplish in his career.

On Wednesday, he didn’t seem to be bothered at all by the strained left calf that caused him to sit out the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff run in April. He got to the rim at will, went 9 of 13 from the free-throw line and knocked down his lone 3-point attempt.

New Zealand 90, Croatia 86

Croatia advanced in its bid to earn one of the final Olympic berths, but not with the kind of momentum it had hoped.

New Zealand beat Croatia 90-86 in Group A in Piraeus. Corey Webster had 21 points and Shea Ili added 18, including a go-ahead layup in the final minute to help New Zealand rally.

“I think it’s just a gutsy win from our team,” New Zealand captain Reuben Te Rangi said.

Ivica Zubac had 29 points and 16 rebounds, Dario Saric added 19 points and eight rebounds and Mario Hezonja had 16 points for Croatia, which was able to secure a place in the semifinals with the four-point differential. The loss, however, kept NBA star Luka Doncic and Slovenia in contention.

Slovenia can make it out of Group A and into the semifinals if it beats New Zealand by 21 points when the teams meet Thursday. If not, New Zealand will advance.

Croatia won its opener 108-92 over Slovenia on Tuesday.

“It was a tough spot playing after an emotional win over Slovenia,” Saric said of the loss Wednesday. “We were hoping we’d be on a level and push the game in our direction. But today wasn’t the case.”

Montenegro 70, Cameroon 66

In Riga, Latvia, Montenegro survived a sluggish start to keep its semifinal hopes alive with a 70-66 win over Cameroon.

Marko Simonovic had 18 points, six rebounds and went 9 of 9 from the free-throw line to lead five Montenegro players in double figures. Nikola Vucevic finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Cameroon needs to beat Brazil when the teams meet Thursday to advance to the semifinals out of Group B. Otherwise, the second spot would go to Montenegro.

Cameroon led 32-29 at the half. But Montenegro opened the third quarter with a 15-2 run to take a 44-34 lead and never trailed again. Montenegro connected on 7 of 9 free throws in the final period and 20 for 24 for the game.

Fabien Quentin Philibert Ateba and Jordan Bayehe each had 14 points apiece to lead Cameroon.

Bahamas 90, Poland 81

Valdez Edgecombe Jr. scored 21 points, Deandre Ayton added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Bahamas advanced to the knockout round with its win over Poland in Valencia, Spain.

The Bahamas led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter, knocking down 13 3-pointers and assisting on 24 of its 31 field goals for the game. Buddy Hield finished with 17 points and 10 assists to help his team finish 2-0 in Group B.

Poland and Finland play Thursday to decide which will join the Bahamas from the group in the semifinals.

Philippines 89, Latvia 80

Justin Brownlee Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid schedule

Justin Brownlee soars for a slam in Gilas Pilipinas’ Fiba OQT win against Latvia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

Justin Brownlee had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the Philippines hold off a late charge and beat Latvia 89-80 in Group A of the Latvia tournament.

Kai Sotto added 18 points and eight rebounds.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid

Latvia trailed by 26 points and cut what was a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to 10 with 1:21 remaining. But the Philippines settled down and was able to close it out.

Rodions Kurucs led Latvia with 18 points.

The Philippines is in the driver’s seat to win the group and advance to the knockout stage when it plays Georgia on Thursday. Latvia beat Georgia 83-55 on Tuesday.

Spain 89, Angola 81

Santiago Aldama had 24 points and Spain beat Angola 89-81 to win Group A and advance to the semifinals of the Liga, Spain, tournament.

Willy Hernangomez added 22 points and 10 rebounds. The winner of Lebanon and Angola on Thursday will join Spain in the knockout round.

Spain carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter and Angola never got closer than six the rest of the way.

Jilson Bango led Angola with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Lithuania 97, Ivory Coast 93

Domantas Sabonis had 22 points to help Lithuania beat Ivory Coast 97-93 and advance to the knockout round of the San Juan, Puerto Rico tournament.

Marius Grigonis added 18 points and Lukas Lekavicius finished with 13, including 3 with under a minute to play to put his team ahead for good. Sabonis also had nine rebounds to help Lithuania finish 2-0 in Group A.

Deon Thompson had 18 points to lead Ivory Coast, which needs to beat Mexico Thursday to earn a semifinal berth.

Ivory Coast took a 72-65 lead into the fourth.

Lithuania twice got within a point before Lekavicius made a floater for a 92-90 lead. Ivory Coast nudged back in front with a minute to play on a 3 by Jean Philippe Dally.

Lekavicius answered with a 3 to make it 95-93 with 41 seconds left.

Puerto Rico 90, Bahrain 56

Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 20 points and Puerto Rico powered past Bahrain 99-56 on home soil to secure a spot in the semifinal round.

George Conditt IV added 17 points and eight rebounds for Puerto Rico, which will face Italy on Thursday to determine the winner of Group B. Italy also advanced to the knockout stage, having beaten Bahrain 114-53 on Tuesday.

Puerto Rico controlled the game throughout, building a 39-19 halftime lead that grew to more than 40 early in the fourth quarter.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Zee Hamoda led Bahrain with 15 points.

Nathalie Ramacula chases childhood dream with PVL Draft chance

On: By: admin


PVL Draft aspirant Nathalie Ramacula. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — After her aborted UAAP stint, the Filipino-Canadian libero Nathalie Ramacula seeks to fulfill her childhood dream as one of the 47 aspirants hoping to be selected in the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft on July 8 at Novotel.

Ramacula flew all the way from Canada back to Manila as she tries to complete her unfinished business nine years after she last played in the country when she was 15 years old.

“I did my residency with UE, and then unfortunately, I was gonna be playing sa UAAP but then I had to go to Canada,” Ramacula told reporters in the Draft Combine on Wednesday at GameVille Ball Park.

READ: Teams begin plotting PVL Draft strategies

Veteran setter Chie Saet discovered the Red River College Polytechnic product in Grade 8 before she went to UE. However, her collegiate stint in Canada was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My journey po, I started playing in grade 5. I got recruited by coach Chie Saet when I was in grade 8 then I went to Canada and I played to clubs there as well. I went to nationals as well and college,” Ramacula said. “Unfortunately, it was COVID so I had to stop for a bit and then I had to come back again for PVL.”

Despite the pitstops in her volleyball career, Ramacula won’t stop chasing her dream to play in the PVL even though she attended the Draft Combine still feeling the effects of jet lag. 

LIST: Applicants for the first ever PVL Rookie Draft

“I applied because this is my dream like my big dream kasi since bata pa po ako ito na po or yung UAAP yung pinaka dream ko so I’m thankful po na [nabigyan ng chance magpadraft],” she said. “Hopefully, I did best because I’m a bit jetlagged kasi po three days ago kakarating ko lang din po so medyo I’m still adjusting sa time.”

“What I can offer is my big motivation po like I can motivate each one of the team as well. Being a [vocal] libero I hope to give my best for the team.”

Ramacula is one of the two Filipino-Canadian players with libero Aleiah Torres of Brock University, hoping to be part of the 12 PVL teams in the Reinforced Conference starting on July 16.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

‘Watch out for me,’ Petecio says as last gold chance looms

On: By: admin


Nesthy Petecio (right) may not be announcing it to the world, but gold is the goal of every athlete in the Olympics. —AFP

In what could be Nesthy Petecio’s last time to represent the country in the Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist will be looking to do things a little different than the way she handled her Summer Games debut.

“If you’re asking me how I will be [in the Paris Olympics], I will just be chill with everything that I will do,” Petecio said in Filipino during a send- off event for the country’s bets in Makati City last week.

Chill means never needing to brandish her target for everyone to see. But even as Petecio isn’t vocal about what medal she will be chasing in Paris next month, she also knows she isn’t kidding anyone.

“All of us athletes are aiming for the gold medal; no one is thinking of not getting that and we are all working hard in training,” Petecio said. “But I don’t want to be the kind of person who says what color of medal I want to get, what I want is for all of you to watch out for me in every fight.”

“Whatever pressure I will encounter, I already know about that because us athletes are always accompanied by pressure … we should just focus on what we can handle and what I can handle is how I will perform,” she added.

Petecio ended the country’s Olympic medal drought in boxing when she landed a silver medal three years ago in the Japanese capital.

After two flawless preliminary bouts, the Davao del Sur native advanced to the quarterfinals to beat Yeni Arias of Colombia and assure herself of a medal in the inaugural women’s featherweight event.

Asian Games target

In the semifinals, Petecio carved out a majority decision win against Italian Irma Testa but fell short to the also debuting hometown bet Sena Iria via a unanimous decision.

“Imagine, I was going to sleep before my fight the next day and when I lifted my blanket I saw the Japanese flag—that’s how intense the pressure I felt was because it was my first time to reach this high level,” Petecio said.

“It was really different so I prayed ‘Lord, remove this pressure that I am feeling,’ because it was really hard to fight when even while sleeping I was seeing the Japanese flag,” she added.

With Father Time catching up, the first female Filipino Olympic boxing medalist might be looking at her last shot for the elusive gold. Petecio is 32 years old and because of politics surrounding the sport, boxing could lose its spot in Los Angeles in 2028.

If that pushes through, Petecio would be shifting her focus to the Asian Games.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

“I am getting older, but I am still raring to get a medal in the Asian Games because I have come up always zero in that so I still need to push one last time,” Petecio said. INQ

‘Fully recovered’ Leila Cruz gets chance at comeback

On: By: admin


Leila Cruz during the PVL Rookie Draft combine.-MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — After recovering from an ACL injury, Leila Cruz is determined to continue her volleyball journey in the pros through the inaugural PVL Rookie Draft on July 8 at Novotel.

Cruz, who injured her ACL last year when La Salle ruled the UAAP Season 85, decided to throw her name in the draft after bidding farewell to La Salle since she’s almost done with her undergrad studies and ready to open a new chapter in her volleyball career, which was stopped for a year.

“My recovery progress was very slow but it was okay. That’s why I wasn’t able to play last season. But now, I’m fully recovered [since February],” Cruz told reporters in Filipino on Tuesday at the Draft Combine at GameVille Ball Park.

READ: Thea Gagate to be picked No. 1 by ZUS Coffee in PVL Rookie Draft

“One big factor I left La Salle is because I’m almost done with my undergrad. I think it’s time to take the next step, which is turning pro.”

The La Salle starting opposite spiker, who sat out this year, said the Lady Spikers including coach Ramil De Jesus accepted her decision like Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, and Maicah Larroza.

“It was super okay for them because the first thing I did was to talk properly to my coaches and teammates. Our relationship is super ok,” she said.

Cruz is grateful to have the combine for giving her a chance to prove herself, especially in the scrimmage on Wednesday, since she has not seen action for more than a year.

READ: La Salle’s Leila Cruz suffers right knee ACL injury

“I didn’t have any appearance last season. I guess it’s my chance tomorrow to show my skills and training for the past few months,” she said.

Cruz said a team has expressed its interest in her but didn’t name the squad.

Regardless of the team that will choose her on draft day, Cruz is ready to play her heart out.

“What I can offer is my willingness, especially since I’m just coming back from an injury. I know that I still have to learn so I will show my willingness to learn and to be a better player so I can help my team,” she said.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Give men’s league a chance

On: By: admin


Retamar–MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net

The sport of volleyball has enjoyed a sudden rise in popularity, with the women’s UAAP and PVL leagues drawing record-breaking gate attendance.

Unfortunately, however, the men’s tournament have yet to receive the same attention from fans, something which young and talented national team setter Owa Retamar, who just wrapped up his playing years in the UAAP with National University (NU), hopes to be able to affect change.

“We know that here in the Philippines, when you say volleyball, people think about the women,” Retamar told the Inquirer after being named by the Collegiate Press Corps as the UAAP men’s volleyball player of the year on Monday night in Pasig City.

“The fans want longer rallies and intervals, but in the men’s (leagues) we have faster exchanges and faster kills and that’s how people see men’s volleyball,” the 22-year-old playmaker said.

Retamar was the unquestioned leader of the Bulldogs during his tenure at National. The team has also been the most dominant collegiate force in the men’s UAAP of late, recently pocketing a fourth consecutive championship under coach Dante Alinsunurin.

With his collegiate stint over, Retamar, who was also a part of the men’s national team that bagged the silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, is taking his act to Cignal in the Spikers Turf where he hopes to bring over NU fans.

“I hope we can be given the chance of gaining crowd support,” he said of the men’s pro league, which he also hopes would inspire the next generation of players.

“Since we first joined the national team, we have been doing everything we can to help bring more attention to the men’s volleyball team,” Retamar added. “We are doing what we are doing for the next generation to carry on, and we will improve the sport so they can take volleyball further.

“So I am happy and I feel proud, even though there is a bit of pressure and we rarely rest.” INQ



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

NBA Finals: Celtics back home with chance to clinch record 18th title

On: By: admin


Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jrue Holiday react as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward P.J. Washington walk off away after the Celtics won 109-66 in Game 3 of the NBA basketball finals, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics’ catastrophic performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals gave them a chance to clinch another championship on Monday night under the 17 banners already hanging in the TD Garden rafters.

And, coach Joe Mazzulla reminded them, that they would still have two more chances after that.

“We don’t like to lose,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said before practice on Sunday. “I think we are ready for Game 5. I think that’s the best answer that I’ve got. I think that we’re ready. We’re at home. And we’re looking forward to it.”

The Celtics cruised through the regular season with the best record in the NBA and then did even better in the playoffs, never trailing in a series while winning 15 of their first 17 games. They opened a 3-0 lead on Dallas, but the Mavericks avoided elimination with a 122-84 victory on Friday night — the third-biggest blowout in Finals history.

That sent the series back to Boston, where the Celtics will again try to win their unprecedented 18th NBA title — and their first since 2008. In a city that’s collected 12 championships already this century, that’s what passes for a drought.

READ: NBA Finals: Celtics take season’s worth of lessons into Game 5

“This is what we all work for,” Brown said. “We are at the precipice of completing what we set out to do at the beginning of the season. So I think it’s not difficult to get everybody in that locker room on the same page right now.”

The Game 4 loss snapped Boston’s franchise-record 10-game postseason winning streak (and also ended Kyrie Irving’s personal 13-game losing streak against his former team). Boston had been 3-0 in potential elimination games so far during these playoffs.

But the Celtics know — and Dallas surely does as well — that they still have three more chances to close out the series. All-Star Jayson Tatum said Mazzulla told his team on Sunday not to “surrender to that idea that we have to win tomorrow.”

While it’s unusual for a coach to diverge from the “one game at a time” mentality, the Celtics said the acknowledgement that they have three tries to win one game takes some of the pressure off them — pressure that may have gotten to them in their total dud of a Game 4.

“We would love to win tomorrow — more than anything,” Tatum said. “But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. We have more opportunities.”

READ: Jayson Tatum reflects on how being a dad changed his life and career

Irving said that the Mavericks are also trying to “enjoy the moment” and not focus on the fact that no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series. Game 6 would be back in Dallas on Thursday, with the potential deciding Game 7 in Boston on Sunday.

″(We are) just thinking about the goal that we have in front of us as best we can, and try not to get tired of everyone talking about the history that has not been made,” Irving said. “We got a chance to accomplish one of our goals, which is to make it back to Boston. We have another goal in front of us, and that’s to make it back to Dallas.”

That will be a lot harder if Boston center Kristaps Porzingis is available. The 7-foot-2 Latvian was listed on Sunday as questionable with a dislocated tendon in his left ankle.

Porzingis did not speak to reporters on Sunday. He practiced with the team wearing a white sleeve on his right leg, and during the 30 minutes that reporters were able to observe him on the court he was gingerly putting up shots from inside the lane, apparently taking care not to jump.

“I’m not sure where he’s at,” Mazzulla said. “But he’s trying and doing everything he can to try to put himself in position to be out there. I know that for sure.”

Porzingis missed 10 straight playoff games after straining his right calf in the first-round series against Miami. He returned for Game 1 of the finals and was a big reason for Boston’s victory, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and three blocked shots in 21 minutes.

But Porzingis dislocated a tendon in his left leg in Game 2, did not play in Game 3 and was said to be available for Game 4 “on a specific basis, if needed.” (With the Celtics quickly falling behind in a 38-point loss, he never checked into the game.)

Less of a concern is the status of Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who has been on the injury report with injuries to his right knee and left ankle along with a bruised chest. He went through the warmups for Game 2 with his torso and knee wrapped, but delivered a triple double in the loss.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

“At this point in the season, a lot of things going on,” he said on Sunday. “If I’m playing, I’m fine. No worries.”

Celtics knocked down hard, but with chance to clinch at home

On: By: admin


Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, top, and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, bottom, chase a loose ball during the second half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

DALLAS  — Jayson Tatum had his step-back 3-pointer swatted away, then ended up in a heap on the floor and was called for an offensive foul.

It was that kind of night for Tatum and the Boston Celtics, who got knocked down hard in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when they had a chance to complete a sweep of the Dallas Mavericks.

Instead of wrapping up an unprecedented 18th NBA title, the Celtics suffered their worst loss ever in the NBA Finals — and one of the worst in league history — when they fell 122-84 on Friday night.

The Celtics’ 10-game postseason winning streak, a franchise record, ended after they lost on the road for the first time in these playoffs. They had been 7-0, including a Game 3 win in Dallas.

READ: NBA Finals: Luka Doncic, Mavericks crush Celtics to avoid sweep

Now the Celtics will get a chance to clinch it at home. Game 5 is in Boston on Monday night.

Dallas already had a 26-point lead at halftime, and any thoughts of a rally by the Celtics were pretty much done less than two minutes into the second half when Tatum had his shot blocked by Daniel Gafford, with the Boston forward reaching out as he fell and getting whistled for the foul.

With the outcome already all but certain, coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench with 3:18 left in the third quarter. It was already a 36-point margin that grew to as much as 48.

Tatum, who had 15 points and five rebounds, was on the bench with Jaylen Brown and the rest of the starters for the remainder of the night. And 7-foot-2 center Kristaps Porzingis never even removed his warmups after being declared available before the game.

There have been only two more lopsided games this late in the season: Boston’s 131-92 win over the Lakers in Game 6 to wrap up the Celtics’ last championship in 2008; and Chicago’s record 42-point win over Utah in Game 3 in 1998.

Boston had its lowest-scoring half all season — regular season and playoffs combined — when trailing 61-35 at halftime.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.