Tag: semis

Break local record, make semis

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Lauren Hoffman is stoked about her Olympic qualification. —LAUREN HOFFMAN/ FACEBOOK

Lauren Hoffman is progressing in every race at a pace she finds encouraging.

Just this year alone, the 25-year-old former Duke University standout wiped out four Philippine records in the women’s 400-meter and 100-m hurdles plus the indoor 400 m and 600 m in a span of five months, three of them accomplished in successive months.

“I intend to make these records even faster. But for now, I’m putting a lot of energy in the 400 (hurdles),’’ said Hoffman, the national champion in the event.

The first-team, all-American at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-m hurdles recently punched a ticket to the Paris Olympics and she wants nothing less than another record-breaking feat.

Her plan in Paris is to beat the local record of 56.44 seconds with an eye on making the semifinal.

Hoffman will race in the qualifying heats on Aug. 4 at Stade de France. If she succeeds, she’ll run the semifinals on Aug. 6.

“I qualified for the Olympics. Still feels crazy to say that. I’m feeling beyond blessed,’’ said Hoffman, who joins fellow hurdler John Cabang and pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the French capital.

Duke record holder

At the conclusion of her Olympic qualification journey, Hoffman slid near the cutoff at No. 39 out of 40 qualifiers, but it hardly mattered anymore.

She ran in meets this season in Florida, Texas, Hong Kong, Philippines, Canada and Poland.

“This could not have been done alone. Thank you to everyone who played a role in this crazy journey,’’ said Hoffman, who was supported by ICTSI Foundation and CEL Logistics together with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Hoffman is Duke University’s record holder in the 400-m hurdles (55.67) and champion in the event during the 2022 ACC Outdoor Meet. She likewise holds the national standard in the 100-m hurdles (13.34), 400-m indoor (53.71) and 600-m indoor (1:30.33).

A medal in the Olympics would certainly be a nice ribbon around her already big year, but it will certainly be a rough mountain to scale with a horde of podium contenders above her that count world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton and American Shamier Little, among others.



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“For now, I’m gonna celebrate this achievement. All season long I’ll be celebrating small wins, big wins and everything in between,’’ said Hoffman.

Czechia sweeps Argentina for semis berth

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Czechia celebrates a point against Argentina in the FIVB Challenger Cup knockout quarterfinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Czechia sent Argentina packing with a 25-15, 25-22, 25-16 sweep to advance to the FIVB Challenger Cup semifinal on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Michaela Mlejnkova led the charge for the Czechs with 14 points off 13 attacks and a block, while Gabriela Orvosova backstopped her with 12 points including two blocks.

“It’s great because this was the hardest game I think of the competition. It’s a really important game because if you win you stay, if you lose you go home. So for us, it’s really important and yeah, I’m so happy we won,” said the 27-year-old outside spiker.

LIVE UPDATES: Alas Pilipinas vs Vietnam FIVB Challenger Cup

Helena Havelkova and Magdalena Jehlarova chipped in 10 and eight points, respectively. Czechia battles the winner of the Alas Pilipinas-Vietnam quarterfinal match in the knockout semis on Saturday.

Czechia star Michaela Mlejnkova

Czechia star Michaela Mlejnkova. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“If you want to qualify for the VNL, you have to beat everyone so actually it doesn’t matter for us,” said Mlejnkova. 

 Mlejnkova is looking forward to experiencing the Filipino culture during their stay.

READ: FIVB Challenger Cup: Puerto Rico ousts Kenya to advance to semis

“It’s really interesting to see how this country is working and I think it’s good to see the country. We didn’t have much time to see something because we are in the hotel but yeah, I think maybe we’ll have time on Monday,” she said.

After dominating the first set, the Czechs needed to stave off a tough second-frame duel against the Argentinians, breaking a tie at 22- all. Katerina Valkova’s 1-2 play put Czechia ahead, 23-22, before Orvosova’s back row hit and Silvie Pavlova’s ace to take a commanding two-set lead en route to a dominant third-frame performance.

Argentina ended its Challenger Cup stint with just a game with Candelaria Lucia Herrera being the lone double-digit scorer with 10 points.



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Luka Doncic, Slovenia face Giannis, Greece in semis

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Luka Doncic and Slovenia advance to the knockout phase of the Fiba OQT in Piraeus, Greece. –FIBA PHOTO

Luka Doncic and Slovenia still have Olympic hopes. And so does the Philippines, much to its own surprise.

Doncic had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Slovenia beat New Zealand 104-78 on Thursday to clinch a semifinal spot in the Fiba OQT at Piraeus, Greece. Slovenia needed to win by at least 10 points to make the semifinals.

READ: Fiba OQT: Greece opens strong; Doncic, Slovenia still have chance

Slovenia’s opponent on Saturday is Greece, meaning it’ll be Luka Doncic and fellow NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo leading their squads — with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final with a berth in the Paris Olympics at stake, and the loser eliminated.

Josh Nebo had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Slovenia. Shea Ili led New Zealand with 28 points.

Fiba OQT semifinal matchups

The matchups for Saturday’s semifinals are taking shape.

At Valencia, Spain — Finland vs. Spain; Bahamas vs. Lebanon.

At Piraeus, Greece — Slovenia vs. Greece; Croatia vs. Dominican Republic.

At Riga, Latvia — Brazil vs. Philippines; Cameroon vs. Latvia.

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT semifinals 2024

At San Juan, Puerto Rico — Lithuania vs. Italy or Puerto Rico; Italy or Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.

The finals at all four sites are Sunday, and those four winners go to the Paris Olympics.

Georgia 96, Philippines 94

Gilas Pilipinas Fiba OQT semifinals

Gilas Pilipinas headed to the Fiba OQT semifinals. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas lost but advanced to Saturday’s semifinals of their tournament in Riga, Latvia, anyway. That created a bit of an issue; the team had flights home scheduled for Friday.

“I guess we’re going to have to move them back a little bit,” Philippines coach Tim Cone said. “That’s how surprised we are to be here and talking to you guys. It’s the first time I’ve felt good about losing.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4

Georgia needed to win by at least 19 points to have any chance of advancing.

Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 26 points and Goga Bitadze finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Brownlee led all scorers with 28 points for the Philippines, adding eight rebounds and eight assists as well.

Finland 89, Poland 88

Down by 12 early in the fourth, Finland finished the game on a 25-12 run to keep its Olympic hopes alive and reach the semifinals.

Mikael Jantunen scored 20 for Finland, which got 18 from Alexander Madsen; those two players combined to shoot 12 for 13 from the floor.

A.J. Slaughter had 21 points and Jeremy Sochan added 20 for Poland, which was eliminated.

Greece 93, Egypt 71

At Piraeus, Antetokounmpo got the day off and Greece rolled into the semifinals anyway.

Konstantinos Mitoglou and Georgios Papagiannis each had 16 points for Greece, which got 15 from Kostas Popanikolaou.

Ahmed Metwaly scored 22 for Egypt, which was eliminated.

Cameroon 77, Brazil 74

Cameroon celebrates a win over Brazil in the Fiba OQT in Riga, Brazil.

Cameroon celebrates a win over Brazil in the Fiba OQT in Riga, Brazil. –FIBA PHOTO

At Riga, Cameroon won and advanced, Brazil lost and won its group anyway, and Montenegro really lost without even playing.

Jeremiah Hill led Cameroon with 22 points. Cameroon needed to win to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in Latvia; had it lost, Montenegro would have reached the semifinals.

Leo Meindl topped Brazil with 19 points. All Brazil had to do to win the group was win the game or lose by no more than six points; had Brazil lost by 15 or more, it would have been eliminated and Montenegro would have advanced.

Lebanon 74, Angola 70

Omari Spellman scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Lebanon moved into the semifinals of the qualifier at Valencia, Spain.

Karim Zeinoun added 15 for the winners, including a personal 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter when he turned a game that was tied at 49 into one in which Lebanon led 56-49 — and it wouldn’t trail again.

Gerson Goncalves scored 13 and Bruno Fernando added 12 for Angola, which was eliminated.

Mexico 92, Ivory Coast 81

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Paul Stoll scored 23 points and added 11 assists, and Mexico erased a nine-point deficit in the second half to earn a semifinal spot.

Joshua Ibarra scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Mexico, which outscored Ivory Coast 24-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away.



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Nisre Zouzoua and Vafessa Fofana each scored 16 for Ivory Coast.

Gilas books OQT semis spot despite close loss to Georgia

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Kai Sotto. Photo: FIBA

It took just eight months for Gilas Pilipinas to add another compelling chapter to this basketball-crazed country’s rich history.

In less than 24 hours, the team made sure to keep adding to the story.

The Philippines unearthed a semifinal spot in defeat after a 96-94 loss to Georgia late Thursday evening extended its run in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Latvia.

After winning the Asian Games gold for the first time in six decades last October, Gilas Pilipinas notched a milestone with an 89-80 victory over world No. 6 and host Latvia in a Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) early Thursday morning, marking the first time the country defeated a European squad in 64 years. But as national coach Tim Cone insisted, the Philippines is in Riga, the Latvian capital, not just for the footnotes.

“[W]e’re not here to just win one game,” he said after the win over Latvia.

The Filipinos, indeed, nearly made it two-in-a-row against European countries. They battled back from a 20-point deficit and took leads late in the game before yielding to the No. 23-ranked country in the Fiba ladder. Still, the world No. 37 shut the door on Georgia as it carried—and eventually protected—a plus-18 quotient that ushered the Philippines to the semifinals and within two wins of a spot in the Paris Olympics.

“We really want to try and get to the finals and see what would happen if we get to the finals. That’s really the goal,” Cone said. The Philippines hasn’t played Olympic basketball since the Munich edition of the Summer Games in 1972. Twelve years before that last appearance, the Filipinos scored an 84-82 victory over Spain in the preliminary round of basketball competitions in the Rome Olympiad.

Brownlee shines anew

The Philippines had not beaten a European team since then, until Thursday’s wire-to-wire conquest of the Latvians. And Cone said his charges were hell-bent on making sure that win won’t be the highlight of this tournament.

Justin Brownlee had 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Gilas again against Georgia at Arena Riga.

Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively.

The Georgians, anchored by NBA big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze, looked on track for a final four berth thanks to a blistering start built on pinpoint shooting.

But they fumbled their chance in the third period when they had little answers against cutthroat fightback led by Perez and youngster Carl Tamayo, who chipped in seven in the surge. Gilas managed to do well despite not having Kai Sotto, who hurt his right rib in the first half, and will now move to face either Brazil or Cameroon in the semifinals. Sotto was crucial in that huge upset of Latvia, scoring 18 points.



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Georgia found itself in a bind even before the clash against the Philippines, needing to beat Gilas by 19 or more following an 83-55 massacre at the hands of Latvia two days ago.

Gilas falls short vs Georgia, but still headed to Fiba OQT semis

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Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee puts on another sensational game against Georgia to help secure the Fiba OQT semifinals ticket. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas overcame a horrendous start before settling for a 96-94 loss at the hands of Georgia and still locking a semifinal spot in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OTQ) in Riga, Latvia.

Gilas trailed by as many as 20 points before closing the gap on the world No. 23 Georgia, which needed to win by 19 points to eliminate the Philippines and join host Latvia in the crossover knockout phase.

The Nationals will face either Brazil or Cameroon in the final phase, with Gilas now just two wins away from a historic return to the Summer Olympic Games.

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4

“We got this stop done and now we’ve got another step to take. And I think that’s where the focus is and hopefully where the focus is of our guys,” national coach Tim Cone said of the next phase.

Justin Brownlee finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Gilas once again at Arena Riga on Thursday.

Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Chris Newsome had 13 as the Filipinos reaped the benefits of beating World No. 6 Latvia less than 24 hours ago at the same venue.

READ: Gilas Fiba OQT win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone’s triangle offense

“We were down 20 at various points of the game and one little streak here or there we could’ve been down 30 and we’re going home and using those flight tickets we have for tomorrow,” said Cone with a chuckle. “But they really showed their resilience.”

“We’ve been saying, it’s the first time we’ve felt good about losing,” he added.

Filipino fans at Arena Riga cheering for Gilas Pilipinas against Georgia.

Filipino fans at Arena Riga cheering for Gilas Pilipinas against Georgia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

The Georgians, anchored by NBA big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze, looked on track for a semifinal berth thanks to a blistering 16-0 start built on pinpoint shooting.

They pushed the lead to as big as 40-20 in the second quarter before Brownlee and June Mar Fajardo, who finished with six points and six rebounds, kept the Nationals within striking distance before halftime.

READ: Gilas’ Justin Brownlee ‘Michael Jordan of PH basketball’

Georgia fumbled its chance to take full control in the third period when it had no answer against cutthroat fightback led by Perez and youngster Carl Tamayo, who chipped in seven in the surge including the 3 that tied the game at 70.

Already down to 11 men before flying to Riga, the Philippines managed to do well despite not having center Kai Sotto for most of the game after he hurt his right rib in the first half.

“We’ve lost Kai early and never got him back in the game. He’s in the hospital checking out his rib whether that’s an x-ray, we have no news on that yet how far or whether he’ll go forward. But the fact is we lost him but still fought our way back into the game,” said Cone.

Georgia found itself in a bind in the semifinals hunt following an 83-55 beatdown at the hands of Latvia two days ago.

The semifinal games in Riga are scheduled for Saturday.

The Scores:

Georgia 96 – Mamukelashvili 26, Bitadze 21, Shengelia 17, Thomasson 14, Sanadze 13, Andronikashvili 5, Ochkhikidze 0, Londaridze 0, Korsantia 0, Jintcharadze 0.

Philippines 94 – Brownlee 28, Ramos 16, Pere, 14, Newsome 13, Tamayo 7, Fajardo 6, Sotto 4, Oftana 4, Aguilar 2, Quiambao 0, Amos 0.

Puerto Rico ousts Kenya, advances to semis

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Puerto Rico celebrates after a win over Kenya in the FIVB Challenger Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. –VOLLEYBALL WORLD

MANILA, Philippines — Grace Lopez lifted Puerto Rico to the semifinal of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup after ousting Kenya, 25-20, 25-19, 27-25, on Thursday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Lopez, the 18-year-old opposite spiker, showed maturity beyond years for the Puerto Ricans to live another day in the four-day qualifier for next year’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL).

She led the charge with 19 points built on 18 attacks and an ace to advance to the knockout semifinal on Saturday against the winner between Sweden and Belgium scheduled on Thursday evening 

SCHEDULE: Alas Pilipinas at FIVB Challenger Cup

“It’s really good. We had a good start and I hope [on Saturday] we win,” Lopez said. “Before the game, we talked that we have to start strong, put almost every serve in and I think that’s the thing that help us win.”

The young Puerto Rican, who has been enjoying her stay in Manila so far, believes that the trust of her teammates and coaches fuels her to play better for her country and step up even at a young age.

“It feels good. I’ve been working with that [trust] like my whole life, with my parents, the coaches and you know, the discipline and I think that’s what helps me play good,” Lopez said. 

READ: After VNL success, PH plays host anew as Challenger Cup fires off

Puerto Rico blew a 24-21 match point advantage in the third set after committing crucial errors that allowed Kenya to save three match points and tie the game at 24-all. Stephanie Rivera came to the rescue to bring back the Puerto Ricans on top but Pamella Adhiambo Owino tied the frame with a down-the-line kill. 

Rivera drilled back-to-back hits to complete the straight-set win to finish with nine points. Diana Reyes chipped in 10 points including two aces, as setter Wilmarie Rivera tossed 25 excellent sets on top of six points off three aces, two attacks, and a block.

Kenya’s Challenger Cup stint ended up with just a game as it is already eliminated from contention.



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Owino was the lone bright spot with 22 points, followed by Belinda Nanjala Barasa, who added nine points.