THREE teams try to join a crowded leaderboard in an interesting UAAP Season 89 collegiate men’s basketball Wednesday doubleheader at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Asian Games silver medalists Kacey dela Rosa of Ateneo, Amyah Español and Victoria Pasilang of Far Eastern University, and Kennan Ka of the University of the Philippines return to their respective schools as the collegiate women’s basketball tournament features a triple-header. University of Santo Tomas shoots for its first back-to-back victories of the season when it takes on winless University of the East, which is trying to adjust under interim coach Paulo Hubalde, at 3 p.m. Defending champion De La Salle University seeks to regain its winning ways when it tangles with Far Eastern University, which is also gunning for a second straight win, in the 5:30 p.m. main game. Things are getting tight this early, with National University, the University of the Philippines and Ateneo locked in a three-way tie for first place at 2-1. After dropping its season opener to the Fighting Maroons, UST lived up to its preseason billing by beating the Green Archers, 80-75, last Sept. 16. Coach Pido Jarencio, who steered UST to its 18th and most recent championship in 2006, wants his troops to simply go with the flow and perform at their best. “Actually, there’s no pressure on us. For us, we’re just going to play. A lot of people are saying our team is strong, [but] our team isn’t really that strong. Sure, we managed to beat La Salle, but we’re not strong. As long as we work as a team, as a single unit, that’s where we’re strong,” Jarencio said. Hubalde, meanwhile, wants to get the Red Warriors back to basics and restore their confidence as they try to end a three-game skid. UE has been outscored by a combined 70 points in its three losses this season. “For me, I just want to boost their confidence. They have to know they can compete with this team. My main objective for the kids is to bring out their confidence,” Hubalde said. Chambers, meanwhile, wants his Tamaraws to temper their expectations after splitting their first two games of the season. Coming off a 93-70 win over UE following two weeks of rest, FEU hopes to avoid a repeat of last year, when it had to play catch-up after a difficult first round before falling short of a Final Four berth.

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers seek a third consecutive World Series title but Boston and the New York Yankees own the spotlight when Major League Baseball’s playoffs begin Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The Dodgers seek a three-peat not achieved since the Yankees in 1998-2000 after winning 100 games over the six-month season. “It doesn’t change anything as far as our standing going forward in the post-season, but it’s still a nice feather in our cap to win 100 games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Six teams each qualified for the National League and American League playoffs, which start with best-of-three wildcard series play. The Yankees will host arch-rival Boston with the winner advancing to face AL top seed Tampa Bay in the best-of-five division series. Slugger Aaron Judge, recovering from a calf strain after missing 84 games earlier with a rib injury, aims to return against the Red Sox. The Yankees were 7-6 against Boston this season. “My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” outfielder Judge said. “Ask me if I’m going to be back I’ll tell you yeah.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone was more cautious, saying, “We’ll listen to the trainers and medical and see where we’re at.” Last-day qualifier Houston — the AL West winners with the worst record in playoff history, at 81-81 — will host the Chicago White Sox in the other AL series. The Astros won the regular season series 5-2. The winner meets Cleveland, which also earned a first-round bye. In the NL, San Diego will play host to the Chicago Cubs, who went 5-1 against the Padres, with the winner advancing to face NL top seed Milwaukee, which won an MLB-best 103 games this season. The other NL wildcard series sends Philadelphia, which survived four straight losses to qualify on the last day, against Atlanta, which went 9-4 against the Phillies. The winner will visit Dodger Stadium for a division series opener on Saturday. The Dodgers went 18-7 in September to enter the post-season on a hot streak. “As a group we played better baseball again and that’s what you want going into the post-season,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Our pitching staff is amazing. Guys started to swing the bat better. Some of us still need to use these five days to figure it out. But a lot of good things happened over the course of the end of the season.” One concern for the Dodgers is the play of Japanese superstar Ohtani, who struggled in five games since returning from left knee and right biceps injuries. Ohtani, a four-time league Most Valuable Player, batted 5-for-21 with eight strikeouts and one walk over his closing stretch, ending the season hitting .275 with 30 home runs. “He came out of it healthy, so you just expect the ensuing days he feels even better,” Roberts said. “When you look out to Saturday, I think he’ll be in a good spot.”

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum’s one constant during his development into a star with the Boston Celtics has been having Jaylen Brown as a teammate. That partnership ended this offseason when the Celtics front office decided to trade Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP — to the Philadelphia 76ers in what was largely a cost-cutting move that broke up the duo most responsible for leading Boston to the 2024 NBA championship. “The business of the NBA comes and plays a part at some point. And I’ve seen it in my almost 10 years in this league,” Tatum said during the Celtics media day on Monday. “For me it’s more so being grateful for what we accomplished and what he means for this city and to this organization. Just the ups and downs in our career that we were able to grow and learn from and made us the players that we are today. So really just being thankful for those nine years.” The closeness of the Tatum and Brown’s off-court relationship — or lack thereof — was a topic of conversation throughout their time together as teammates, especially as it became clearer that having two $300 million contracts on the books would be unsustainable for the team’s salary cap health going forward. The choice was ultimately to keep Tatum, sending Brown to an interdivision rival that has suddenly vaulted to a contender in the Eastern Conference after also picking up LeBron James this offseason. It has cast a brighter spotlight on Tatum, a six-time All-star and five-time All-NBA selection, as the unequivocal leader of the Celtics as he enters his first full season after tearing his Achiles tendon during the 2025 NBA playoffs. He said he’s ready to take on the challenge of leading new-look version of the Celtics, that got back Paul George in the trade and added big man Mitchell Robinson and guard Mike Conley Jr. “Yeah, very comfortable. This is Year 10,” Tatum said. “Leadership is about a lot of different things. Awareness is the biggest one. Self-awareness, awareness of the group. And just understanding we all have roles and we’re just kind of simply in this together. So it looks different from person to person.” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the style of the team won’t necessarily change without Brown. “I don’t think that it’s necessarily the phrase ‘without Jaylen,‘” Mazzulla said. “Every year you’re getting new players, old players, the same players that you have coming back expand their games and they look differently. So it’s not as much what it looks like without one person or the other as much as it’s what’s our roster, how can we take advantage of the strengths and talent that we have.” Tatum reached the 16-month mark since he had surgery on his Achilles tendon and he said he’s ready to go after having to miss Game 7 of Boston’s first-round playoff matchup against the Sixers last season. “I feel great having this offseason to get stronger,” he said. “Get more explosive and just work on my body in totality. So, obviously feel much better than I did this time last year and I’m excited and thankful for that.” George ready to support Tatum If anyone knows what it’s like to try to return to the court after a major injury, it’s George. He missed nearly all of the 2014-2015 NBA season while with the Indiana Pacers after sustaining a compound fracture in his right leg during a Team USA scrimmage. He reiterated that he sees his role this season as filing whatever holes there are on the court. “Obviously, JT is the guy,” George said. “I’m there to support him in all facets. I’ve always prided myself on being able to not just do one thing, kind of wearing whatever hat that I needed to while still producing at a high level. That’s kind of how I view being here.” Robinson needed apology from Mazzulla Two years ago, during Boston’s conference semifinals loss to the New York Knicks, Mazzulla employed an intentional foul strategy against Robinson, a historically bad shooter at the line. Mazzulla joked Monday that he’d miss fouling Robinson now that he was one of his players. Robinson, who said he’s worked on his career 50.8% free throw shooting this offseason, said that his history with Mazzulla required a conversation between the two. “At first, we had a little issue because I’m like, ‘You’ve got to say sorry for fouling me,’” Robinson joked. “He apologized, and now we’re on the same team, so it’s going to be great, just building together and stuff like that. ... I feel like it’s going to be epic.”

CHICAGO — Case Keenum passed for two touchdowns in his first start in almost three years, and the Chicago Bears shut down Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles for a 27-7 victory on Monday (Tuesday in Manila). Stepping in for Caleb Williams, Keenum was 24 for 34 for 247 yards. He also scored his first rushing touchdown since 2019 on a 1-yard plunge with 7:19 left, capping a 13-play drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock. It was Keenum’s first action since he started for Houston in a 36-22 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 24, 2023. Williams was sidelined by a right hamstring injury, and Tyson Bagent backed up Keenum after he cleared the L’s concussion protocol on Sunday. Kalif Raymond had six receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown as Chicago (2-1) bounced back after an ugly 9-3 loss to Minnesota. Philadelphia (2-1) turned the ball over three times and failed to record a takeaway for the third consecutive game to begin the season. Hurts was 16 for 25 for 153 yards with an interception, and Saquon Barkley rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. Keenum capped Chicago’s first drive with a shovel pass to Luther Burden for an 8-yard touchdown, and he connected with a wide-open Raymond on a 41-yard TD in the second half. Trailing 7-0, Hurts drove Philadelphia deep into Chicago territory in the second quarter before he absorbed a late hit by linebacker D’Marco Jackson along the sideline. Hurts was pulled off the field to be checked for a concussion, and backup Andy Dalton was intercepted by rookie Dillon Thieneman in the back of the end zone with 6:14 left. Hurts scored on a quarterback sneak as time expired in the first half, but Chicago (2-1) controlled the final two periods. Hurts was picked off by linebacker T.J. Edwards late in the third quarter. Edwards dropped a potential interception on third down on Philadelphia’s first drive of the second half. Chicago finished with 24 first downs and 128 yards rushing. The Bears had 28 first downs and 281 yards on the ground in a 24-15 win at Philadelphia last season.

MINNEAPOLIS — Cheryl Reeve smiled as she sat in a chair on the stage with Olivia Miles to her left, as the Minnesota Lynx were presented with two major awards. Reeve’s record fifth WNBA Coach of the Year trophy, she said, would not have materialized without Miles and her performance at point guard this season that made her an unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year. “What I was reminded of with Liv is the importance of letting greatness be great,” Reeve said, “and not getting in the way.” Miles received all 74 votes for the award from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the league, after she set the WNBA rookie scoring record. The second pick in the draft out of TCU played in 40 of 44 games and averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.2% from the field, 38.8% from 3-point range and 87% from the free-throw line. Reeve, who is in her 17th season as head coach of the Lynx and fourth as president of basketball operations, was sold on Miles and her curiosity and humility during the pre-draft interview process and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly she became comfortable on the court. The coach and the player realized they see the game through a similar lens, thanks to Reeve’s degree from La Salle in computer science and the mindset Miles shares with her father, Yakubu, a software engineer. “It was important for me to have someone who was humble,” said Reeve, who guided the Lynx to WNBA titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. “I think a lot of players come in feeling like they know and they don’t need to be told or have others around them to guide them.” Miles became the sixth winner of the award in Lynx history, following Betty Lennox (2000), Seimone Augustus (2006), Maya Moore (2011), Napheesa Collier (2019) and Crystal Dangerfield (2020). Just like Reeve became a better coach with her on the floor, Miles found the ideal place to land in the league with a core of welcoming veterans on and off the court in Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams and an accomplished coach in Reeve with such high standards. “I truly think that her method to her madness, what she refers to it as, will lead to success if we trust in it,” Miles said. “I knew it was going to be hard. I didn’t know it was going to be this hard. I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity I’d have right away, so I kind of just took that and ran with it. She’s given me a lot of grace as well.” Reeve, who received 40 of 74 votes from media panel, previously won the award in 2011, 2016, 2020 and 2024. She became the WNBA’s all-time leader in regular-season coaching wins this year. Golden State’s Natalie Nakase, who won the award last year, finished second with 20 votes. Washington’s Sydney Johnson was third with 14 votes. Miles, a native of New Jersey who started her college career at Notre Dame, led all rookies in points, points per game, field goals made, defensive rebounds, assists, assists per game and efficiency rating. The WNBA announced the awards on Monday, before the Lynx traveled to New York for an elimination game in their best-of-three first-round playoff series on Tuesday. The top-seeded Lynx lost the opener at home 91-75 to the 2024 champion Liberty on Sunday, when Miles had just 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting with four turnovers and four fouls in her postseason debut. Even for one of the most precocious rookies to join the league lately, the playoffs are another level of competition. “I think she’s feeling it right now, but it’s what we expected and it’s not easy,” Reeve said. “She’s a smart player, and she’ll figure it out.”

EJ Obiena has won another Asian Games gold and rewritten the Games record for the second straight edition, but perhaps his biggest takeaway from it is something that cannot be measured in length.

The Philippines bagged four medals on Tuesday, its biggest single-day medal haul in the 2026 Asian Games.

Kim Hyo-bin, a 25-year-old who has become a rising star in Korean canoeing and won two gold medals at the Asian Games, broke down in tears as he spoke about the couple who raised him with love. Lee Gong-heon, 70, and his wife, Choi Hyeon-suk, 63, took him in when he was 9 months old and cared for him until he left their children's home at 19. “They are my parents,” Kim said, wiping away tears repeatedly. “Although I never experienced the care of my biological parents, I don't think it would be easy for any biological parents to care for me as well as they did.” At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he won two titles alongside his idol and fellow former student from Buyeo High School, Cho Gwang-hee, 33, who also represents Ulsan Metropolitan City Hall. Kim claimed his first gold medal on Sept. 24 in the men's canoe sprint kayak four 500-meter event. The following day, he and Cho won the men's kayak double 500-meter event, making Kim the first Korean athlete to win two gold medals at this year's Games. Caressing his medals, Kim said, “I never expected to win gold in the four-perso

Korea took a 4-1 beating against Uruguay in their men's football friendly match in Seoul on Monday, the team's first loss under their temporary head coach Robert Moreno. Darwin Nunes and Giorgian de Arrascaeta each scored a goal, in the 13th minute and then 27th minute, for Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the nation's capital, with Korean defender Kim Min-jae being charged with an own goal late in the first half. After Nunes made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute, Korean captain Son Heung-min got one back for the home team in the 80th minute. The goal was Son's 58th of his career, pulling him into a tie with Cha Bum-kun for the most international goals by a Korean male player. Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 in Moreno's debut last week but were badly outplayed against Uruguay this time. They have one win, two draws and eight losses against Uruguay. The Taegeuk Warriors will next host Venezuela at 8 p.m. Friday in the southeastern city of Ulsan. Korea tried to establish early advantage in ball possession, but Uruguay exploited some holes behind the opposing defense in the 13th minute, with Nunes conve

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — Lee So-hee and Baek Hana teamed up for their first Asian Games gold medal in the women's doubles in badminton Tuesday, ending South Korea's 24-year title drought in the process. Lee and Baek, world No. 2, took down the top-ranked team from China, Lin Shengshu and Tan Ning, by the score of 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 21-18) at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya. Lee and Baek are the first South Korean women's doubles tandem to reach the top of the Asiad podium since Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won in 2002. Lee and Baek won silver at the previous Asiad in 2023 after losing to Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China, and they beat a different Chinese team Tuesday to grab their first gold. This was the rematch of the world championships final from August, when Lee and Baek also prevailed for their first victory over Liu and Tan. This gold medal contest had the makings of an instant classic between the world's two best women's doubles teams. Down 18-17 in the first game, South Korea earned three straight points to set up a ga

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — World No. 1 An Se-young claimed her second straight Asian Games gold medal in badminton in central Japan on Tuesday, becoming the first player to successfully defend the women's singles title at the continental competition. An defeated Akane Yamaguchi, world No. 3 from Japan, by 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya. An is now the first player to win back-to-back Asiad gold medals in the women's singles since the event was first held in 1962. An has won nine consecutive meetings against Yamaguchi, including twice at this year's Asian Games. Before the singles final, An got the better of her Japanese rival in the women's team event semifinals on Wednesday. An's gold was South Korea's second badminton title on Tuesday, coming moments after Lee So-hee and Baek Hana won the women's doubles gold medal. Yamaguchi came out strong, taking a 4-1 lead with some powerful shots that appeared to catch An by surprise. An took her first lead of

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Kim Min-young won the gold medal in the women's +87-kilogram kurash event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, giving the country its first Asiad title in the wrestling-like sport. Kim beat Chinese Taipei's Shih Liu Li-ling 5-0 in the event's final at Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Kim became the first South Korean athlete to win a gold medal in kurash since the wrestling-like sport was introduced to the Asian Games in 2018. South Korea has won two silvers and two bronzes at the Asian Games, including one silver by Mo Su-min in the women's 78-kg kurash event the previous day. Kurash is a type of wrestling practiced in Central Asia. Athletes attempt to score by throwing their opponents, with a khalol, a throw that lands the opponent on their back, declared a victory, while other ground techniques are prohibited. Kim, 21, who switched to kurash from judo, won her round of 16 and the quarterfinals by a khalol (a full point). In the semifinals, she edged out Arailym Shegenova of Kazakhstan 1-0. In the gold medal match, Kim took five

Kang Jun-i, 17, has won Korea's first-ever Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding, bringing renewed attention to his appearance on SBS' "Genius Discovery Team" seven years ago. Kang scored 180.85 points in the men's street final at the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, finishing ahead of Japanese skateboarding stars Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera. Street skateboarding involves riding a board on the kind of obstacles found in urban environments, such as stairs, handrails, rails, ramps and benches. This marks the first time a Korean skateboarder has won an Asian Games gold medal since the sport made its official debut at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Game. The country's previous best result was a bronze medal won by Eun Ju-won in the men's street event in 2018. The high school student was overcome with emotion after his victory, saying, "It feels like a dream. I can't believe it." He went on to say winning gold at the Los Angeles Olympics would be his next goal. Kang first picked up a skateboard at the age of 8. In 2019, when he was 12, he appeared on SBS' "Genius Discovery Team" as a skateboardi

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Park Hye-jeong captured silver in the heaviest weight class in women's weightlifting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday. In the women's +81-kilogram event final at Nagoya City Trade Industry Center in Nagoya, Japan, Park finished second with a total of 300 kilograms, with 133kg in the snatch and 167kg in the clean and jerk, behind Li Wenwen of China, who lifted a total of 310kg, with 140kg in the snatch and 170kg in the clean and jerk. Bronze went to Ouisal Ikhlef of Qatar, who recorded a total of 273kg. Park won the gold medal in the event at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games but failed to defend her Asiad title. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Park also won the silver medal behind Li.

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — At 24 and still in her athletic prime, shuttler An Se-young has already accomplished more in the past couple of years than what many would take their entire career to achieve. She won the world titles in 2023 and 2026, and also an Olympic gold in 2024. She has held the No. 1 ranking in the women's singles for over 100 weeks. In 2025, An won a record 11 international titles and became the first player in badminton history to earn over $1 million in prize money in a season. The South Korean star etched her name in the record books once again Tuesday at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan. By beating Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women's singles final by 2-0 (21-17, 21-9), An became the first player to win back-to-back women's singles gold medals in the competition's history. The women's singles was first contested in 1962. With her latest triumph, An further cemented her case as the greatest badminton player of her generation — if not all time. Despite the strong level of competition in Asia, An reached the top of the podium here with stunning ease. The t

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea lost to Japan 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Games women's football tournament on Tuesday, after conceding both goals to the host country in the second half. Chiina Kamiya scored a brace at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, about 100 kilometers east of the main host city, Nagoya, and sent Japan to their sixth consecutive Asiad final. Japan will take on North Korea in the gold medal match at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the same Fukuroi stadium. It will be a rematch of the 2023 Asiad final, when Japan prevailed 4-1. South Korea will face China in the bronze medal contest at 3 p.m. Friday, also in Fukuroi. South Korea were chasing their first women's football title, having previously won bronze medals in 2010, 2014 and 2018. South Korea have four wins, 14 draws and 21 losses against Japan, the last victory having come in August 2015. The match did not have a shot on target by either side through the first 35 minutes on this rainy night, until South Korean defender Jang Selgi put one right at goalkeeper Shu Ohba. Things opened up a bit on both ends after the restart. J

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea fell just short of a men's handball medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan on Tuesday, losing to Japan by a handful of goals in the bronze medal contest. South Korea failed to overcome a first-half deficit and suffered a 37-32 defeat at Entrio in Inazawa, just northwest of the main host city Nagoya, with third place on the line. South Korea has now missed the podium in men's handball in back-to-back Asian Games for the first time since the event was added to the competition in 1982. At the 2023 Asiad, South Korea finished tied for fifth. The country's last gold came in 2010 under head coach Cho Young-shin, who was put back in charge this year with the goal of lifting South Korea to the podium again. However, South Korea lost to the three-time defending champion Qatar 32-20 in the semifinals Monday before absorbing another loss Tuesday. South Korea went down 8-2 less than 10 minutes into the first half and never got to within four goals for the rest of the opening 30 minutes. South Korea cut the deficit to three goals early in the second half bu

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday apologized to the South Korean men's volleyball team for a transportation mix-up that disrupted its training schedule. On Monday, the South Korean men's volleyball team was to hold a training session in the morning before its second group stage match against Chinese Taipei in the evening. The official bus took the team to the wrong location, forcing it to cancel the training session. "We caused great inconvenience, and the organizing committee takes this seriously," Ayumi Sakamoto, spokesperson for the organizing committee, said during a press conference. According to the committee, there was an error in assigning buses to the South Korean and Pakistani volleyball teams at their hotel. The bus assigned to the South Korean team transported the Pakistani team, while another bus reserved for Pakistan picked up the South Korean players. Due to the bus mix-up, the Pakistani team arrived late at the venue, delaying its preliminary-round match. The South Korean team canceled its morning training session. "We

Lawrence Mangubat and Jamhir Eligado powered Jose Rizal University past Lyceum of the Philippines University, 94-69, in the NCAA Season 102 men"s basketball tournament on Tuesday.

Olympian and pole vaulter EJ Obiena remained the king of Asian pole vault as he ruled the event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine bets Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera held off their Hong Kong rivals Lai Ching Laam and Liu Kallista, 6-1, 6-3, at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center Indoor Court B in Japan Tuesday evening to enter the 20th Asian Games tennis women's doubles second round. Unable to close out Lai and Liu in the eighth game of the second set, Eala and Rivera blanked the Hong Kong players the following game for the first round win. Rivera delivered the clincher at the net as the Philippines finished the match in one hour and 17 minutes. Eala and Rivera face the Chinese duo of Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan in the second round. Jiang and Yang received a first-round bye.

Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera flexed their might to pull off a 6-1, 6-3 win over Hong Kong's Lai Ching Laam and Kallista Liu in the women's doubles first round in the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday in Japan.

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament JRU def. Letran, 94-69 Jahmir Eligado Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

Megan Belt has stood down as Kent Women’s captain at the end of this season.

MANILA, Philippines -- Jamhir Eligado led the detonation as the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers bombed the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, 94-69, for a rebound win in the NCAA Season 102 men's basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena Tuesday. Eligado shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the field to finish with 22 points on top of 16 rebounds, leading JRU to a bounce back victory after falling to San Beda University last timeout. The Heavy Bombers improved to 3-1 for a share of the Group A lead with the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde Blazers. The Pirates fell to 1-3 for a share of the bottom with the Mapua Cardinals.

EL SEGUNDO, California — Bronny James seems to realize that the wildest part of LeBron James' decision to change teams before his 24th NBA season is the fact he left his son behind to do it. Bronny is still with the Los Angeles Lakers after his 41-year-old father's departure for the Philadelphia 76ers. The younger James enters his third NBA season this week still working to win a rotation role with the team that drafted him in 2024 in the family's adopted hometown. Bronny and LeBron spent the past two seasons as the NBA's first father-son teammates, an achievement LeBron said was comparable to any of his championship rings. But the top scorer in league history decided his hunger for another title was greater than his desire to stay by Bronny's side. In his first extensive public comments on this unusual situation Monday, Bronny confirmed he isn't the least bit angry or disappointed by his dad's departure. He's already well aware that when your father is LeBron James, many things are bigger than you. “Happy for him, and excited for where their season goes,” Bronny said. “I’m excited to see him on Christmas, excited to play against him on Christmas. It’s going to be good.” The 76ers visit the Lakers on Dec. 25. While LeBron’s enthusiasm for being an engaged father to his three children is well-documented, Bronny said he didn't have extensive discussions with his father about the move. “We’re men of very little words when it comes to talking about business and what we’re going to do and how we feel about each other,” Bronny said with a smile. “It wasn’t really much, to be honest with you. He’s got his own path and I’ve got my own, so he knows that I want to make a name for myself and want to continue my career and keep growing as a player, and he knows I’ll want to focus on that, so he decided to (move).” And while LeBron meets his new teammates and settles into Philadelphia this week, his son is getting back to work with the Lakers. LeBron won't be a constant presence in the locker room and on the road to dispense guidance and leadership to his son — and he won't be around for Bronny's 22nd birthday next week, either. That's all fine for Bronny, who wasn't fazed while he went through his first Lakers media day without his father's massive presence and booming voice nearby. “Feels like he’s not here,” Bronny said at the Lakers' training complex. “I don’t really have an opinion on that. That’s my dad. I’ve spent almost 22 years with him, so just another experience that I’m going to be a part of, and I’m excited how it’s going to feel during the season. So I’m looking forward to it.” LeBron said this week that he left the Lakers to chase his fifth championship ring. The unspoken part of that declaration is James’ apparent belief he’s closer to a title in Philadelphia than in Los Angeles, where his Lakers won just one playoff round in the past three seasons. But Bronny is optimistic about the Lakers' chances to build an exciting — and pointedly younger — core around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and prolific guard Austin Reaves. New center Walker Kessler should be a sharp upgrade under the opponents' basket and on lob finishes, and he's just one of nine new players hoping to win roles with Los Angeles. “Everyone is young, so there’s a lot of energy flowing around, and I think we feed off each other,” Bronny said. “I don’t know yet, because we haven’t played a game, but because we’re young and we’re finding a way to get close to each other, I think we can feed off each other’s energy. There’s going to be a lot of guys that can go out and give full effort, turn up the game, and we can probably play fast because of how young we are. … We have a good chance of making it far.” LeBron ended this family partnership right when Bronny appeared to be on the verge of breaking through to a regular role. Bronny played regularly down the stretch last season and into the playoffs while Doncic and Reaves were sidelined by injury, teaming up with his father for significant minutes in the Lakers' first-round upset of the Houston Rockets. Bronny wants to continue his growth as a secondary ballhandler and a point-of-attack defender, two roles in which he excelled for long stretches last spring. His father won't be around for tips and critiques, but Bronny is ready to figure out some things on his own — and with ample help from his teammates and coaches, of course. “I think I did play my role pretty well in the Houston series, and that’s something I can grow off of,” Bronny said. “Showing up every day and playing my game and being relentless both sides of the floor and making sure I’m getting my teammates involved and disrupting on the defensive end of the floor.”

MANILA, Philippines — Not even the drizzle could shake and stop Ernest John "EJ" Obiena from defending his men's pole vault title at the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Obiena seized the gold medal with a new meet record of 5.91m clearance at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium Tuesday evening, eclipsing the 5.90m mark he posted in the previuous edition in Hangzhou, China back in 2023. This is the third time that Obiena soared past the 5.90m height this season. Obiena thus gave the Philippines its third gold medal in the ongoing meet after gymnast Carlos Yulo's golds in floor exercise and vault. Chinese Yao Jie finished second to Obiena with a 5.70m clearance, defeating his compatriot Li Chengyang via countback.

The Philippines" EJ Obiena remained the gold standard in the continent as he ruled the men"s pole vault competition at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday at the rain-soaked Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Japan.

Sibol"s star-studded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad stormed through the group stage of the 2026 Asian Games, sweeping Jordan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.