LONDON — Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua were all smiles as they kicked off the countdown to their much-anticipated heavyweight showdown at a pre-fight press conference in London. The British two-time world champions will finally lock horns in Cardiff on Dec. 11 after years of false starts and barbs at each other. Those expecting fireworks as the two shared a stage in front of a crowd of 1,000 fans were left disappointed as both showed respect for their adversary’s career. Fury invited Joshua to join him for a “pint of Guinness” once they had finished in the ring, while the 2012 Olympic gold medalist ended a face-to-face exchange by tickling Fury in the midriff. The vacant WBA super heavyweight title is expected to be on the line and Fury hit back at criticism that the pair are only coming together well past their peak. “People say this fight is too late,” said the self-styled “Gypsy King.” “It’s the icing on the cake for two great careers when we throw down in front of 80,000 people. May the best man win.” The fight appeared destined for Saudi Arabia or the United States during the early stages of negotiations but Joshua believes the chance to face off on British soil will “inspire a generation.” “I’m really grateful for this opportunity and bringing it to Great Britain because I know people in pubs have had proper fights about who will win and family members have fallen out,” he said. “We’ll inspire this generation and the next generation. It was people from this country supporting us. I’m fulfilling my destiny before I depart this world.” Fury has won 36 of his 39 fights and held the WBC, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts during his colorful career, with his only defeats coming against Oleksandr Usyk in world title bouts in 2024. Joshua has 30 wins from 34 fights, holding the WBO and IBF titles at various stages before a pair of losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

COPENHAGEN — Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that he had left the team’s training camp in Denmark after coach Jorge Jesus told reporters that the striker would be dropped for their next match. Ronaldo had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken stadium in Copenhagen on Wednesday but left abruptly after Jesus’ press conference. The veteran coach had said that Ronaldo, who spent the entire match on the bench against Norway on Sunday, would not start Thursday’s Nations League clash away to Denmark either. “Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. “In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated. “Now is time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.” Jesus had insisted earlier that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old did acknowledge that his captain had been disappointed to remain on the bench in the side’s Nations League win over Norway. The news sparked a wave of memes on social media and furious backlash from Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro. “They don’t deserve to have the best of anything,” she said about the Portuguese people on Instagram. “We are envious, scornful, and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity that defined us in the pre-CR7 era of football.” No incident Following the 2-1 victory in Oslo, Ronaldo went straight to the changing rooms without joining his teammates in acknowledging the Portuguese supporters in the stands. “There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus told reporters. “Any player — and I was a player myself ... when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on ... no one is happy about that,” Jesus said on Wednesday. The Portuguese coach added that he had told Ronaldo before the match that he would not be in the starting lineup, but that he might bring him on towards the end of the game. “Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” Jesus insisted. The former Benfica boss also explained that Ronaldo had not refused to train on Tuesday, as some Portuguese media outlets had suggested, but that he had had to do individual exercises for physical “mobility” and “strengthening.” Jesus had said that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would train as normal on Wednesday, however, despite arriving at the stadium in the team bus, Ronaldo did not join his teammates on the pitch in Copenhagen. Portuguese media shared a video of him leaving the Parken stadium alongside two members of the backroom staff just after Jesus’ press conference. They also said that Ronaldo’s private jet was heading to Copenhagen.

NAGOYA, Japan — A gold medal for two South Korean golfers at the Asian Games would mean more than a chunk of metal to dangle around their necks. For Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Seong-hyeon, winning gold at the Asian Games — in the men’s individual or team event — would excuse them from mandatory military service at home. Kim Joo-hyung goes by Tom Kim when he plays on the PGA Tour, and Kim Seong-hyeon goes by S.H. Kim. Under any name, they got a good start in the first round on Wednesday toward landing the exemption. The final round is Saturday. “I am 100-percent nervous,” S.H. Kim said. “A lot of pressure.” He added he’s struggling with knee and back injuries and was not optimistic about his chances in the individual event. “Team gold is easier,” he said. Japan led the men’s team competition after the first round, with South Korea and China two strokes behind. In the individual event, Wang Wei-hsuan of Taiwan and Kazuki Higa of Japan were tied at 5-under 65 atop the leaderboard at Kasugi Country Club. Mun Do-yeob, the third member of the South Korea team, was tied with four others at 4-under 66. Unlike his teammates, 35-year-old Mun doesn’t need the exemption. In South Korea, most men serve 18-21 months of military service. “I already finished my military service so I don’t really think about the military (exemption)”, Mun said. “But I want to play good, so we make our team get a gold medal ... to make sure they don’t go to the military.” The format is 72 holes of stroke play. The teams are made up of three players, but only the best two scores count each day toward the team total. Mun led South Korea with a 66 and Tom Kim shot 67. S.H. Kim shot a 68, so his score was excluded from the team total of 133. Japan was in at 131 with Higa’s 65 and a 66 by Keita Nakajima.

NAGOYA, Japan — A pair of Olympic medalists in judo will each chase their first Asian Games gold medals on Thursday. Lee Joon-hwan will compete in the men's -81 kilograms, and Huh Mimi will do so in the women's -57kg on Day 2 of judo at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya. Lee is the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in his weight class, while Huh, a Japanese native and a descendant of a Korean independence fighter, got silver in her division at the same Olympics. Lee took silver at the previous Asian Games in 2023. This is Huh's first Asian Games appearance. The taekwondo competition will begin Thursday with poomsae, a non-contact, pattern demonstration discipline of the traditional Korean martial art. Yun Kyu-sung is considered a gold medal threat in the men's individual poomsae event at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of the main host city, Nagoya. Elsewhere on Thursday, the men's field hockey team will play Malaysia in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, just north of Nagoya. South Korea has not bee

OKAZAKI — Kang Yeon-seo won bronze in the women's individual event in compound archery at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday for her second medal of the competition. Kang, 14, defeated fellow South Korean Park Jung-yoon in the bronze medal match by 145-143 at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city, Nagoya. Kang and Park together won the women's team bronze Wednesday. In the individual compound event, archers each take 15 arrows, three arrows in each of the five ends. Cumulative points determine the winner, with the maximum score being 150. At the start of Thursday, Kang knocked off Wunier of China 145-140 in the quarterfinals, while Park beat Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh of Malaysia 145-139 in the quarterfinals. However, in the semifinals, Kang lost to Nurisa Dian Ashrifah of Indonesia 147-143, with her opponent shooting 12 straight 10s at one point. Moments later, Park lost to Amaya Amparo Cojuangco of the Philippines 142-141, unable to overcome an early deficit against the 40-year-old veteran. That set up the all-K

Nam Ji-sung and Park Ui-sung advanced to the men's doubles final in tennis at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, moving within a win of South Korea's first tennis title in 12 years. Nam and Park defeated Ho Chenjui and Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei 2-1 (7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 11-9) in the semifinals at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya, central Japan. In the final scheduled for Friday, the South Korean team will face either Jiang Fumin and Zhang Tianhui of China or Yusuke Kusuhara and Shunsuke Nakagawa of Japan. Those two teams were to meet in the semifinals later Thursday. South Korea has not produced an Asiad tennis champion since Chung Hyeon and Lim Yong-kyu won the men's doubles gold medal in 2014. South Korea had set out to take home four gold medals in tennis, but all singles players were knocked out well before medal contention in their tournaments, while the women's doubles and the mixed doubles teams were also sent packing early.

Teen prospect Yang Yun-seo kept herself in contention for an individual medal at the midway point of the women's golf tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday. Yang, 18, shot a five-under 65 in the second round with seven birdies and two bogeys at Kasugai Country Club East Course in Kasugai, just northeast of the main host city of Nagoya. At seven-under through 36 holes, Yang is tied for third with the six-time LPGA Tour winner from China, Yin Ruoning. They are six strokes behind the leader, Shannon Xuan Yin Tan of Singapore. Two other South Koreans took a step back, with Kim Gyu-been and Park Seo-jin both shooting 73s. Kim is at 1-over for the tournament, with Park at 4-over. For the team standings, where the two best scores for each team are added each round, South Korea went two-under Thursday to sit tied for fourth at six-under overall. China is leading the team competition at 12-under, one shot better than Singapore and five ahead of India. The golf tournament will conclude Saturday.

South Korea won the gold medal in the men's team 25-meter rapid fire pistol event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday. The South Korean trio of Yoon Seo-yeong, Song Jong-ho and Lee Gun-hyeok finished first with 1,749 points in the event's final at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, some 25 kilometers east of Nagoya, the main host city. China took silver with 1,740 points, while Indonesia won bronze with 1,720 points. It was South Korea's first gold medal in the event since the 2014 Asian Games, with Song repeating the feat 12 years later as a member of the 2014 gold-medal team. It was also South Korea's second shooting gold medal at the ongoing competition. In the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event, competitors fire five shots at five separate targets within a strict time limit of 8, 6 or 4 seconds, with each athlete firing 60 shots. Three shooters from each country compete for individual scores and rankings in the qualification round, and the scores of the individual team members are combined to determine the cumulative team standings and medals. South Korea's

Compound archer Kim Jong-ho could barely sleep Wednesday night, thinking he had cost South Korea a chance to win the men's team gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. He had shot two 8s in the semifinal loss to India and one more 8 in a loss to Chinese Taipei in the bronze medal match. In compound archery, where athletes have the benefit of mechanical release aids and magnified sights, an 8 is rare at a high-level competition. Some 24 hours later, though, Kim held himself together long enough to capture the gold medal in the individual event at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city, Nagoya. He defeated Chang Cheng-Wei of Chinese Taipei 149-145, falling just one point shy of a perfect score in the 15-arrow battle held over five ends. Kim, 32, is the first South Korean male compound archer to win an Asiad individual gold, a feat that he called "an honor" to accomplish. "I just tried to focus on one arrow at a time. I was so nervous that I kept my head down and stared at my feet between shots," Kim said. "I could not

South Korea's Jung Ha-eun won the gold medal in the women's taekwondo poomsae at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its first taekwondo gold in the ongoing competition. In the women's individual poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Jung won 9.3100 to top the podium. Juliana Mykhail Candelaria of the Philippines won the silver medal with 9.1300 points, while bronze medals went to Thitaree Kaewolanwasu of Thailand with 9.0400 and Yuiko Niwa of Japan with 8.9100. She became the second female gold medalist poomsae practitioner at the Asiad, following Cha Yea-eun who won the event's title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. South Korea had won one gold and one bronze in the individual event and one silver in the team event since the discipline became an official Asian Games event in 2018. Jung scored 9.320 points in her first routine, receiving 3.700 points for accuracy and 5.620 for presentation. In her second performance, she earned 5.560 points for technique and 3.740 for presentation, for a total of 9.300. He

South Korea's Lee Gun-hyeok won the gold medal in the men's individual rapid fire pistol shooting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, becoming the first double gold medalist in shooting. Lee edged out China's Su Lianbofan in shoot-off in the event's final at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, some 25 kilometers east of Nagoya, the main host city. It is Lee's second gold medal at the ongoing competition after winning the team event earlier in the day. Lee completed South Korea's first sweep of the individual and team title in this rapid fire event in 12 years. The 25m rapid fire final was contested over eight series of five shots, with a four-second limit on each series. Each shot within the 9.7 zone was a hit that counted as one point, and each miss of the zone was zero point. The elimination of the lowest-scoring finalists began after the third series and continued until the eighth series. Lee was leading the final through three series with 13 points, with the other South Korean in the eight-man final, Yoon Seo-yeong, in a tie for fourth with 11 points. However,

Kim Jong-ho struck gold in the men's individual event in compound archery at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, becoming the first South Korean archery champion at the ongoing competition. Kim defeated Chang Cheng-Wei of Chinese Taipei 149-145 in the final at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city, Nagoya. In the individual compound event, archers each take 15 arrows, three arrows in each of the five ends. Cumulative points determine the winner, with the perfect score being 150. The archery competition continues Friday with team events in recurve, followed on Saturday by individual events in recurve. In two days of compound, South Korea picked up one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. The men's individual compound event previously took place at the 2014 and 2023 Asian Games, and Kim is the first South Korean winner. Kim helped South Korea to the men's team gold and the mixed team silver in 2018 and also the men's team silver in 2023. Kim also exacted revenge on Chang a day after Chinese Taipei beat South Korea in

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Yun Kyu-sung won the gold medal in the taekwondo poomsae event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its second gold in the taekwondo poomsae event. Yun scored 9.3800 points to stand on the top of the podium in the men's individual taekwondo poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya. His gold marked South Korea's second poomsae gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games, following Jung Ha-eun's gold in the women's individual event earlier in the day. Yun also became the third South Korean male poomsae practitioner to win the Asian Games title, after Kang Min-sung and Kang Wan-jin, since the discipline became an official Asian Games event in 2018. Yun scored 9.340 points in his first routine, thanks to 3.680 points for accuracy and 5.660 points for presentation. For the second routine, Yun received 5.680 points for his technique and 3.740 points for presentation, a total of 9.420 points. His winning score was the average of the two scores. Yun held off Navin Pinthasute of Thailand by 0.1 po

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Huh Mimi won the gold medal in the women's -57-kilogram judo event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, giving her country its first judo gold at the ongoing competition. Huh beat Terbish Ariunzaya of Mongolia by a yuko in the event's final held at Aichi International Arena in Nogoya, central Japan. She stood on the top of the podium in her first Asian Games appearance. It is South Korea's first judo gold medal at the ongoing competition. Bronze medals were shared by Mio Shirakane of Japan and Kim Hyon-a of North Korea. In the final, Huh earned a yuko, the smallest point awarded in judo, through a back-throw just 12 seconds after the competition started. She tried a couple of ground and hand-throwing techniques, but failed to earn points. Despite a shido, or yellow card, she successfully used the remaining time to seal the victory. Huh, 21, was born in Tokyo to a Korean father and a Japanese mother. She competed for Japan earlier in her career but began representing South Korea in 2021 to honor a dying wish of her grandmother. Huh is also a descendant of a Korean

Sport climber Seo Chae-hyun won her second straight Asian Games medal on Thursday with bronze in the women's boulder event. Seo finished third with 70 points, as Zhang Yuetong of China took gold with 85 points and Ai Mori of Japan grabbed silver with 84.8 points at Portmesse Nagoya Exhibition Hall in Nagoya, central Japan. The objective of boulder is to complete the most routes in the fewest attempts on 4-meter walls. Climbers receive 25 points for finishing a route ("Top") and 10 points for reaching a designated midway hold ("Zone"), but lose 0.1 point for each unsuccessful attempt. With four problems presented in the final, the maximum score was 100 points. Seo had the same score as Luo Zhilu of China but won the tiebreaker because she had the higher score in the previous phase, the semifinals, with the perfect 100 points. In the final, Seo earned the full 25 points in each of her first two boulders but scored just 10 points in each of her next two. Seo won silver behind Mori in the combined event at the 2023 Asian Games, where the competition was a mix of boulder and lead, of which the

The South Korean baseball league surpassed 12 million fans in record-breaking style Thursday, as it inched closer to its single-season record. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the total attendance for this season reached 12,069,596 fans, after four games played Thursday drew a combined 78,622 fans. The KBO added it topped 12 million in 684 games, beating the previous record of 703 games in 2025. Last year, the KBO set its all-time mark with just over 12.3 million fans. With 11 days remaining in the season, the league is on pace to surpass that mark. Through Thursday, KBO teams are averaging 17,646 fans per game. The KBO has cleared every million milestone in record-setting fashion this year. The Samsung Lions faced the Hanwha Eagles before a sellout crowd of 24,000 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, their league-leading 54th sellout. With 319 sellouts leaguewide, the KBO is closing in on the single-season mark of 331 sellouts set last year.

Archer Amaya Amparo Cojuangco bagged a silver medal in archery, while the country's taekwondo jins scored silver and a bronze medals in the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday. Tennis ace Alex Eala, meanwhile, secured a bronze to lift the Philippines' medal haul up to 22 medals.

The Alas Pilipinas Men fell short against Indonesia, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 25-21, in the classification match of the 2026 Asian Games men"s volleyball tournament on Thursday in Japan.

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth has provided some positive news on the injury status of striker Ronan Hale ahead of their home match this weekend.

MANILA, Philippines — College of Saint Benilde needed extra time to fend off the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, 81-79, in the crossover round of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Thursday night at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Justine Sanchez led the scoring for the Blazers with 27 points. Jhomel Ancheta added 17 points and eight assists. While there were only two double-digit scorers on St. Benilde’s side, Perpetual Help put up a fight with Mark Gojo Cruz scoring 15 points while LA Casinillo and Kenji Duremdes added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Benilde improved to a 3-1 win-loss record, while Perpetual fell to 2-3.

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament   Benilde def. Perpetual 81-79  Justine Sanchez Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

Justine Sanchez dropped a career-high 27 points as De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde escaped the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 81-79, in overtime in the NCAA Season 102 men"s basketball tournament.

MANILA, Philippines — Jeus Gabriel Yape grabbed the bronze medal in the men's individual poomsae on Thursday afternoon at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. The 22-year-old Yape scored 9.0900 to make the podium with Thailand’s Navin Pinthasute earning the silver medal (9.2800) and South Korea’s Kyusung Yun taking the gold (9.3800). Earlier, Juliana Mykhail Candelaria clinched a silver medal in the women’s category after posting 9.1300 points.

MANDAUE CITY — Daniel “The Beast” Boiwo and Teresiah Kabui captured the men’s and women’s 21K titles as more than 1,800 runners opened the PalawanPay Trilogy Marathon 2026 in this city on Sept. 27. Boiwo led the men’s 21K field with Arvengie Encinada taking second and Glady Kipto third. Kabui topped the women’s race, followed by Michelle Raniola and Cristine Ann Sardoncillo. The Cebu leg offered four race distances: 5K, 10K, 16K and 21K as competitive runners shared the course with families, friends, employees, partners, and other members of the community. Mark Mahinay won the men’s 16K, followed by Nickson Kosgei and Jerome Casinillo. Michelle Zamora topped the women’s 16K, with Lyn-nel Martus second and Abigael Jerop third. Anthony Orellano secured the men’s 10K title, while Joseph Mururi placed second and Darwin Lucaylucay third. Lijeaven Noay won the women’s 10K, followed by Glaiza Mae Hamora and Joanna Christine Galeza. Zeus Lecera led the men’s 5K, with Oswaldo Arcelo Jr. in second and Bryan Amesola in third. Jane Pangalao topped the women’s 5K, followed by Gretchen Sambo and Ziane Ysabelle Villarico. PalawanPay organized the event with RunRio and the UP Office of Athletics and Sports Development.  The three-leg series also carries a fundraising component that will support the purchase of fully equipped emergency ambulances for underserved communities in Aklan and South Cotabato. Palawan Group of Companies chose Cebu as the opening venue partly because of its established operations in the province. The company has 295 Palawan branches and more than 1,500 Cebuano partners and associates in Cebu. “Bringing the Trilogy to Cebu is another way for us to be part of the community, not just in the services we provide every day, but also in activities that promote health, wellness, and time together,” said Lisa Castro-Sabado, chief business development officer of Palawan Group of Companies.   The company also used the Trilogy to continue its grassroots sports programs, which include tennis, basketball, aside from running. The Trilogy will move to Palawan for its second leg on Oct. 18 before concluding in Manila on Nov. 28.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is confident the country would surpass its target of four gold medals in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tolentino said the country still has a strong chance in multiple disciplines, including jiu-jitsu and judo. “There are still three days until Sunday morning. Last 3 days, still hoping for more golds,” he said.   His bold prediction, however, took a hit Thursday afternoon when top seed Alex Eala lost in women's tennis semifinals and settled for the bronze.  At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the Philippines finished with four gold medals from pole vaulter EJ Obiena, jiu-jitsu fighters Annie Ramirez and Meggie Ochoa, and the Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team. At press time, the Philippines has three gold medals, one from Obiena and two from Carlos Yulo. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and pugilist Carlo Paalam and the jiu-jitsu fighters, including Ramirez and Kaila Napolis are still in the hunt for a gold medal. “God willing. Fellow Filipinos, let's pray for our athletes at Team Philippines. They’re still on the qualification stage. That’s why we can still surpass the four, hopefully,” Tolentino said. The POC chief earlier said that their target was to win four gold medals — later increased to eight — for this edition of the Asian Games. The closing ceremony is set to be held on Sunday with Japan handing over the Olympic Council of Asia flag to Doha, Qatar, which will host the quadrennial event for the second time in 2030.

Mapua University handed Arellano University its first loss in NCAA Season 102, 69-55, as the crossover phase of the group stage commenced on Thursday.

University of Perpetual Help got off to a sizzling start against La Salle Greenhills and never looked back en route to its fourth consecutive victory in  the NCAA Season 102 juniors basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Thursday. Lord Dulanas collected 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals to lead the Junior Altas to a convincing 108-86 win over the Greenies.  Rookie Sizco Roquid contributed 16 points, 5 boards and a steal while Francis Rosales scored 13 points behind a 3-of-4 shooting from the 3-point area for the Joph Cleopas-coached team. Cleopas lauded his team for not wilting to pressure when the Greenies mounted a rally in the second quarter. In the second half, however, the Junior Altas regained their composure and led by as many as 25 points.    Patrick Pasinos led the Greenies with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks.

MANILA, Philippines — Mapua University dealt Arellano University its first loss in NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Yam Concepcion stuffed the statistical sheet with 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals to lead the Cardinals to a 69-55 victory. Ivan Lazarte chipped in 17 points while Lance Nitura added nine points for Mapua. Mapua outrebounded Arellano, 56-30, and shot 43.1 percent (28/65) from the field  compared to Arellano’s 27.9 percent (19/68) shooting clip. The Cardinals also contained T-mc Ongotan, who was named NCAA Player of the Week last week. After scoring a career-high of 29 points against Letran, he was limited to only seven points against Mapua. Renzo Abiera and Yuan Camay led the Chiefs with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Mapua, which suffered three consecutive heartaches, scored a breakthrough win over San Beda University and kept its momentum against Arellano to tally a 2-3 win-loss card. Arellano dropped to 4-1.

Alex Eala still walked away from the Asian Games with a bronze medal for the Philippines, but the pain of coming so close to a place in the final was evident.

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament Mapúa def. Arellano, 69-55 Yam Concepcion Player of the Game #NCAASeason102