Rain or Shine gave Gabe Norwood another reason to celebrate his special night as it took down Converge, 119-111, to stretch its unbeaten run to six in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Friday.

The game was dedicated to the 41-year-old as the franchise retired his jersey no. 5 during halftime, and the present-day Elasto Painters made sure not to spoil the occasion with a big second-half toward staying atop the standings.

Coach Yeng Guiao’s men were already ahead by seven at the break but the rites seemingly gave an added jolt to the whole crew, turning in 34 big points in the said period to build a commanding 95-75 lead entering the deciding period.

Just like against San Miguel, though, the opposition clawed its way back and knocked within a field goal behind Juan Gomez de Liano with 2:52 left.

But Caelan Tiongson was there to halt their momentum with a perfect trip to the foul line, and then came Jaylen Johnson, who knocked down crucial threes, the last of which settled the eventual scoreline with 20.9 seconds left.

‘JJ’ scored their last eight points of the match and went on to finish with 35 points alongside 21 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks.

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The renewal of the long-term partnership between the UAAP and broadcast partner Cignal TV has come alongside a major shift in collegiate sports broadcasting, as the final NCAA game aired on a GMA platform marked the end of a broadcast cycle for another major league.

On Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Colegio de San Juan de Letran completed a historic turnaround, dethroning College of Saint Benilde in Game 3 of the NCAA Season 101 Women’s Volleyball Finals to snap a 27-year championship drought and end the Lady Blazers’ four-year reign.

Letran clinched the deciding match in a tightly contested series that swung both ways. The Lady Knights opened the finals with a five-set victory, 17-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 15-11, before Benilde forced a rubber match after a dominant straight-sets win, 25-18, 25-21, 27-25.

In the championship clincher, Letran leaned on a balanced attack led by Verenicce Colendra, who delivered 23 points, and Vanessa Sarie, who added 19. Gia Maquilang also provided a steady all-around performance, finishing with a triple-double of 17 points, 17 receptions, and 13 digs.

Finals Most Valuable Player Judiel Nitura stepped up when it mattered most, contributing eight points in Game 3 after key outings of 21 and nine points in the earlier matches.

For Benilde, Season MVP Zam Nolasco carried the scoring load with 27 points in the deciding game, while Clydel Catarig and Shekainah Lleses added 17 and 12 points, respectively, in a losing effort.

The championship concluded under the final stretch of the broadcast partnership between the NCAA and GMA Network, which began in 2020 and covered five seasons of seniors and juniors basketball, as well as volleyball competitions for both men’s and women’s divisions.

During its run, NCAA games were aired across GMA’s platforms including GTV and the Heart of Asia channel, alongside digital streaming through the network’s social media pages and YouTube channel.

However, sources noted that the partnership faced recurring challenges in securing consistent commercial support, with sponsorships largely concentrated during postseason play.

The lack of a streaming service further challenged efforts to recoup investments.

Reports also indicated that the NCAA had been informed as early as last December that GMA would no longer pursue renewal once the agreement expired.

The league has since begun exploring new broadcast partners for its upcoming seasons.

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National Basketball League | Result

• Kampala Rockets 52-82 UCU Canons

UCU Canons returned to winning ways after a rough run in the National Basketball League.

UCU Canons secured a well-deserved 82-52 victory against Kampala Rockets in the National Basketball League encounter at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Wednesday.

The Canons raced to a four-point (15-11) lead thanks to good ball handling and finding quick fast break attacks against a short handed Kampala Rockets that were managing energy.

In the second quarter, the Kampala Rockets rebounded the ball much better giving the Canons a tough challenge in the paint. Going into the long break Kampala Rockets held onto a two-point (35-33) lead.

Coming from the locker rooms, Marvin Jesse Okurut scored thrice beyond the paint as the Canons opened a 16-point lead (59-43) going into the final period.

In the final quarter, the Kampala Rockets were limited to only nine points as the Canons bagged a commanding 30-point victory.

Jimmy Otim (16 points) and Marvin Jesse Okurut (14 points) led the Canons’ scoring charts in the double digits.

On the other hand, Brian Opio (14 points) and Shafik Kinyera (11 points) scored double digits for the Kampala Rockets.

The post NBL 26: UCU Canons thump short-handed Kampala Rockets appeared first on Kawowo Sports.