NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament Arellano def. Letran, 82-81 T-MC Ongotan Player of the Game #NCAASeason102
Sep 28, 2026
Rookie Jamal Diaz delivered in the clutch as Mapua University broke through in NCAA Season 102 with a 55-54 victory over San Beda University on Monday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Carlo Paalam kept the Philippines" boxing gold medal hopes alive after beating China"s Zhang Jiamao by split decision in the men"s 55kg quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday.
MANILA, Philippines — Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games men’s 55-kilogram (kg) boxing event after defeating Jiamao Zhang of China via split decision on Monday afternoon in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Paalam almost spent a year outside of the ring and even skipped the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand—proving that he’s hungrier than ever to top his 2018 bronze finish at the Jakarta Asian Games. The 28-year-old Paalam opened the first round strong after sending his opponent to the ropes, allowing three judges to score in his favor. The 27-year-old Zhang started to counter Paalam’s attack in the second round, dictating the first minute. However, Paalam changed his game plan and landed better blows, showing he was not overwhelmed by China’s attacks. Paalam gained four nods of the judges in the second round. Frustration showed on Zhang’s side as he tackled Paalam to the ground in the third round. However, Paalam remained tactical and threw one-two punches and made more jabs to secure his win.
MANILA, Philippines — The Mapua University suffered a three-game skid before scoring a breakthrough victory against the defending champion San Beda University, 55-54, in Group A of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Monday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Mapua had a tough string of losses and finally cracked through the win column with the late-game heroics of Jamal Diaz, who was responsible to turn things around when San Beda was leading by 54-49 in the last one minute and 25 seconds of the final canto. Diaz drained a triple with 54 ticks left, as San Beda's Sean Torculas missed a two-point jump shot. With under 20 seconds left, Diaz delivered another triple with 12 seconds left that allowed Mapua to earn a 55-54 lead. The Cardinals played hard-nosed defense, preventing San Beda from converting any points in the dying seconds of the match. Diaz finished with eight points along with five rebounds. Marc Cuenco led the scoring for Mapua with 19 points. San Beda was led by Richi Calimag, who poured in 18 points, while Lawrence Hawkins made 13 markers along with eight rebounds.
Mapua def. San Beda, 55-54 Jamal Diaz Player of the Game #NCAASeason102
Nesthy Petecio fell short of a medal after absorbing a unanimous decision loss to Yang Chengyu of China in the 2026 Asian Games women's 60kg quarterfinals on Monday in Japan.
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino tennis ace Alexandra "Alex" Eala began her 20th Asian Games gold medal bid on a high note after dominating Patcharin Cheapchandej in the round of 16, 6-1, 6-0, at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center Indoor Court C in Japan Monday afternoon. The second round match was supposed to be played outdoors at the Show Court but was moved indoors due to rains. The inclement weather also delayed the match for about five hours. The delay did nothing to bother the world No. 18 and tournament top seed Eala, who jumped on No. 505 Cheapchandej to dictate the match for the rest of the way. Raring to bounce back after a shock second round exit in Singapore last Thursday, Eala bageled Cheapchandej in the second set capped by a booming ace to close the match. Eala faces world No. 142 Joanna Garland of Taiwan in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Garland defeated Mandegar Farzami in their round of 16 clash. Eala also competes in the doubles side with Shaira Rivera, as they face the Hong Kong tandem of Lai Ching Laam and Liu Kallista in the first round on Tuesday. Rivera got off to a winning start in the mixed doubles with Francis Alcantara as they defeated the Iranian duo of Meshkatolzahra and Kasra Rahmani, 6-4, 1-6, 10-8, last Sunday.
Alex Eala got off to a rousing start in her 2026 Asian Games debut, ousting Thailand's Patcharin Cheapchandej, 6-1, 6-0, in their rain-delayed Round of 16 bout on Monday at the Indoor Court C of the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan.
MANILA, Philippines — Two-time Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio ended her podium bid in the 2026 Asian Games campaign after losing via unanimous decision over Chinese foe Chengyu Yang on Monday afternoon in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Petecio, the most-bemedalled Filipina boxer, initially gunning for a podium spot in this edition, as this is her third time competing in Asiad. She flexed her southpaw stance early in the opening frame and exchanged volume of punches against Yang. However, despite Petecio making a combination of an uppercut, a straight punch, and an overhand left, she received a one-point deduction that allowed the Chinese to earn the five nods from the judges. Yang was less aggressive in the second frame, and Petecio switched things up after starting with an orthodox stance. The Filipino pug had a clean right hook, but it was not enough to impress the judges. Petecio loaded up her punches in the final round, hoping to win via stoppage. The Chinese boxer was playing smartly and was not engaging in the first minute, despite Petecio scoring a left hook. However, Yang managed to stay alive in the final round. Petecio earned a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, followed by a bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Philippines is assured of two more medals in the 2026 Asian Games after the sepak takraw team delivered a bronze medal in one event and advanced to the finals in another to hike the country's medal tally on Monday.
MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine men's sepaktakraw regu team fell to Malaysia in the semifinals, 15-10, 11-15, 7-15, to settle for a bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Japan on Monday. Captain Jason Huerte, Reynaldo Asilum Jr., Jom Lerry Rafael, Glindel Phori and Ronsited Gabayeron could not sustain their strong start as they lost steam especially in the third set. The Malaysian team were composed of captain Aidil Aiman Azwawi, Muhammad Aifuddin Mohd Razali, Muhammad Zulkfifli Abd Razak, Mohamad Azlan Alias, and Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi. A win against the Malaysians would have sent the Philippine men's team for a shot at gold like its women's counterparts.
The first month of the new season is in the books and it was business as usual for Ka Ying Rising and Zac Purton, while an apprentice and host of local trainers also made successful starts to their campaigns. The SCMP analyses the jockeys and trainers who had a month to remember or one to forget, as well as the most outstanding victory and winning ride. Who’s hot? Purton launched his bid for a 10th championship in fine style, firing in 11 wins at a healthy strike rate of 22.9 per cent for...