For Homer Se, it's mission accomplished. (Photo by Josh Albelda/Griffin Sports)

By Tyron James Gonzales and Reginald Magcalas

After nine years strutting his wares in the Philippine Basketball Association, Homer Se has called it quits.

Se, the six-foot-six bruiser out of San Sebastian College, has retired from basketball, citing physical reasons, a text message from Shopinas.com team manager Jovie Saddul confirmed this morning.

Saddul noted the Clickers’ rigorous training regimen as one of the reasons why Se finally decided to hang up his sneakers.

Clickers.Shopinas.com is still waiting for Se’s statement as of press time.

Meanwhile, former UAAP Most Valuable Player Ken Bono has been given the go-signal to try out for a slot in Shopinas.com’s lineup.

After online lobbying by fans, team management, along with head coach Franz Pumaren, finally gave the burly Adamson University product a chance to show his worth and get back to the PBA.

A conference removed from winning a championship with Petron, Paolo Hubalde is at the center of a 0-14 campaign with the Clickers. (Photo by Josh Albelda/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

As the truth of a 0-14 finish dawned on the Shopinas.com Clickers, Coach Franz Pumaren could only shake his head in disgust.

The Clickers got waylaid early then had a hard time catching up with the B-Meg Llamados, who cruised to an 86-74 victory at the close of the elimination round for both clubs in the PBA Philippine Cup Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Needing a win to avoid setting the worst start by a team in league history, Shopinas.com came out flat in the opening quarter, falling prey to a vicious 16-2 blitz that they would never recover from.

“We wanted to make a statement early,” B-Meg coach Tim Cone said after the game. “We played a good first quarter and that was our target.”

The Clickers launched mini-runs all throughout the game but couldn’t get closer than 11 points — when the outcome wasn’t in question anymore — in absorbing their 14th straight defeat and handing the Llamados their eighth consecutive win.

Down 36-59 in the third, Elmer Espiritu and Pong Escobal spearheaded a 14-3 blast that trimmed the deficit to 50-62 after a basket by Espiritu.

B-Meg, however, would not be denied as Peter June Simon doused any rally Shopinas.com could muster in the fourth to pass Great Taste for the worst conference-opening losing streak in PBA annals.

“It was a tough conference for them,” Cone said of the Clickers. “It was wearing and tough, but he kept his guys playing all the time. It will build character for them all the way down the line.”

For Pumaren, the multi-titled coach who steered De La Salle to four straight UAAP crowns in his heyday, it’s all about wanting to win, desire and pride.

James Sena was again the best Shopinas.com cager of the night with 20 points and 13 boards while Espiritu, picked fourth overall by Alaska when Cone was still coaching the Aces, hustled his way to 16 points and five rebounds.

Escobal continued his string of solid performances with 12 markers spiked by four triples, four boards and eight assists.

On the other hand, the Llamados weathered a miserable performance by James Yap as Joe Devance sparkled with 18 points even as Josh Urbiztondo and Marc Pingris contributed 11 points apiece.

The scores:

B-Meg (86) – Devance 18, Urbiztondo 11, Pingris 11, Simon 10, Acuña 6, Barroca 5, J. Yap 5, Reavis 5, Raymundo 5, R. Yap 4, De Ocampo 4, Ferriols 2

Shopinas.com (74) – Sena 20, Espiritu 16, Escobal 12, Ritualo 7, Jazul 6, Sison 5, Duncil 4, Aquino 2, Hubalde 2, Canlas 0, Se 0

Quarterscores: 28-11, 53-36, 72-56, 86-74

Assistant Coach Cholo Villanueva gives instructions to Ramon Magsaysay HS students before the training started (Photo by JM Albelda/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

In the midst of what many consider a dismal season, the Shopinas.com Clickers took time off to give back.

The Clickers kicked off its school tour by holding a basketball clinic for 50 high school hoopsters at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao, Quezon City last Monday.

Spearheaded by skipper Ren Ren Ritualo, Shopinas.com players and coaches conducted a two-hour activity that helped students develop their skills in dribbling, passing, shooting and defending.

“Gusto namin ma-inspire ang mga bata na maglaro ng basketball,” team manager Jovie Saddul told teachers assembled at the school with one of the largest populations in the Philippines. “Sana mapasaya namin kayo kahit kaunti.”

Conditioning coach Dan Rose, assistant mentors Cholo Villanueva and Jojo Villapando and Clickers Pong Escobal, Magi Sison and Paolo Hubalde participated in the tour that will be brought to other schools in Metro Manila.

“Sobrang saya namin dahil naturuan kami ng mga idol namin, lalo na si Ritualo,” a fourth year student said. “Lalo ko nagustuhan maging basketball player dahil sa kanila.”

For the Shopinas.com Clickers, that first win remained elusive.

The Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters had a hard time finishing off the Clickers but just had enough firepower to string together an 88-81 win in the PBA Philippine Cup Sunday afternoon at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the loss, Shopinas.com tied Great Taste for the worst start in a conference by a PBA team set by the latter during the 1982 Reinforced Conference, and moved a loss away from setting its own record of futility.

Like in their previous defeats, the Clickers sleepwalked through some parts of the second and fourth quarters before mounting runs that ultimately fell short.

Jojo Duncil and RJ Jazul combined to give Shopinas.com a sizzling start, even leading by double-digits in the first quarter as fluid offense and rock-solid defense gave them a 27-19 advantage at the end of the opening canto.

Then again, the Clickers got the raw end of another incident as the Elasto Painters used the injury to star rookie Paul Lee as a rallying point to hold their foes to only five second-quarter points while scoring 22 of their own to bring a 42-32 lead at halftime.

Lee injured his shin after a collision with Ogie Menor in the first quarter.

A balanced Rain Or Shine attack in the third kept Shopinas.com at bay, even posting a 59-48 spread late in the third before a small run by the Clickers made it close at 62-58.

Then Ryan Araña, who blossomed under coach Franz Pumaren in La Salle, took over in the fourth.

With Ren Ren Ritualo proving slow-footed against him, Araña tored the Shopinas.com captain’s defense to shreds time and again to help the Painters hike their lead to 83-72, with only a little over two minutes left in the ball game.

“It’s just nice to break out of the losing streak,” coach Yeng Guiao told reporters after the game. “Although I’m not happy with the effort.”

Duncil sparkled with his best output of his career with 23 points while Jazul scorched early to finish with 17 markers. James Sena added 11 for the Clickers.

On the other hand, Jeffrei Chan top scored for Rain Or Shine with 14 points followed by Araña and JR Quiñahan, who was thrown out of the game after a flagrant foul 2 in the third, with 12 points each.

The scores:

Rain or Shine (88) – Chan 14, Araña 12. Quiñahan 12, Matias 9, Norwood 9, Cruz 7, Tang 7, Belga 7, Rodriguez 7, Buenafe 4, Lee 0, Ibañes 0

Shopinas.com (81) – Duncil 23, Jazul 17, Sena 11, Hubalde 9, Espiritu 7, Ritualo 6, Menor 4, Sison 2, Daa 2, Escobal 0, Aquino 0, Se 0

Quarters: 19-27, 41-32, 61-55, 88-81

Ogie Menor goes up against the other 'bad boy' of the PBA: Beau Belga. (Photo by Jerome Ascano/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

The Shopinas.com Clickers face a playoff-bound but struggling Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters side today, hoping to notch a first win and more importantly, avoid tying for the most consecutive losses in a conference record in league history.

At 0-12, the Clickers have no other choice but to beat the Elasto Painters in their 4:15pm tiff to steer clear of the almost 30-year-old record set by Great Taste in 1982 and Country Fair in 1984.

Then again, for the wards of Coach Franz Pumaren, the task is obviously easier said than done, as they will be facing a squad that blew them out 95-76 a month ago.

Shopinas.com would have its hand full defending Rain Or Shine’s bevy of scorers in Jeff Chan, Paul Lee and Ryan Buenafe while contending with burly bigs in Beau Belga, Jervy Cruz and JR Quiñahan.

Nevertheless, team manager Jovie Saddul has said that they will be going all out for a first win, and nine days off must have been of great help for the Clickers, who polished their execution of plays during training sessions.

Jojo Duncil exchanges heated words with Alex Crisano in a third-quarter altercation. (Photo by Jaye Lim/Griffin Sports)

By Myke Miravite

We are now officially out of the race to the playoffs.

The Shopinas.com Clickers absorbed yet another stinging loss, this time an 84-102 defeat to the Powerade Tigers in the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Clickers, however, were pesky in the first half, trailing only by seven before the break, 50-43, clinging onto the small hope of escaping relegation right in their maiden conference.

Marcio Lassiter, Doug Kramer, and Gary David led a three-pronged Powerade offense as they combined for 54 points, more than half of their team’s production, with the former Gilas stalwart flirting with a triple-double, adding seven points and eight assists on  top of 21 markers.

Franz Pumaren’s boys fought hard right in the tip-off as Elmer Espiritu sizzled early to lead Shopinas.com to a 28-all deadlock after the first quarter and finishing the half with a team-high 10 points.

But the Tigers went on to a 34-21 third quarter scoring spree as Kramer and Lassiter collaborated for 15 points and leaving the Clickers in a 20-point hole.

James Sena, Pong Escobal and Paolo Hubalde ignited a mini-rally midway in the fourth canto but the Tigers proved to be too hot to stop as they immediately made a counter-run to give the clickers their 12th loss in the conference.

Sena finished the game with a 19-point and 11-rebound double-double while Espiritu scored only two points in the second half to finish the game with 12. Escobal and Hubalde also contributed 12 points apiece but their efforts were not enough to claim their first-ever W as a team.

The Scores

Powerade Tigers (102) – Lassiter 21, Kramer 17, David 16, Cruz 9, Antonio 9, Adducul 8, Casio 6, Crisano 6, Anthony 5, Vanlandingham 3, Lingganay 2, Martinez 0, Allera 0.

Shopinas.com Clickers (84) – Sena 19, Espiritu 12, Escobal 12, Hubalde 12, Sison 7, Menor 5, Duncil 4, Daa 4, Ritualo 4, Jazul 2, Se 2, Canta 1

Quarters: 28-28, 50-43, 84-64, 102-84

The streak-shooting Jazul has been stellar for the Clickers. (Photo by Jerome Ascano/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

Winless in 11 games, the Shopinas.com Clickers make their final stand for a playoff berth on Friday when they face the skidding Powerade Tigers in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A loss by the Clickers officially eliminates the league’s newest team from contending for a quarterfinal slot while giving the Tigers a two-game advantage over ninth-running Alaska in the race for the last eight.

Shopinas.com, buoyed by a brilliant outing by RJ Jazul, almost stole one from the Aces last Sunday but a series of missed shots mixed with a number of miscues doused a furious rally and gave Alaska an 86-80 win.

Coach Franz Pumaren told his wards after the game that their fate is still in their hands and though they don’t have a win to show in their first 11 matches, nothing is impossible for the Clickers.

“It is hard, but it is not impossible,” Pumaren stressed at the post-game huddle. “We just have to go out and compete for 48 minutes.”

With Jazul’s emergence, the former UAAP champion mentor will have another weapon to flaunt as usual snipers Paolo Hubalde and Renren Ritualo have been struggling mightily over the past few games.

Jojo Duncil and James Sena have also been solid for the Clickers while Magi Sison, although blocked four times the last time out, is gradually improving with more minutes.

Duncil, Hubalde, Jazul, Ritualo and Ogie Menor, however, will have their hands full against Powerade’s high-powered backcourt trio of league scoring leader Gary David, and highly-touted rookies JV Casio and Marcio Lassiter, who will definitely look to assert themselves against Shopinas.com.

Friday’s 5:15 tiff will also see ex-La Salle standout Hyram Bagatsing in his first PBA game as a Clicker.

Jojo Duncil and Franz Pumaren could only look in disbelief as the win slipped off their hands. (Photo by Jaye Lim/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

Almost but not quite.

The Shopinas.com Clickers stepped on the verge of a breakthrough victory but couldn’t pull through in a pulsating 80-86 loss to the Alaska Aces in the twilight of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round Sunday afternoon at the jampacked Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Down 66-77 with six minutes left in the fourth, the Clickers unleashed a furious 12-3 rally capped by a long jumper by RJ Jazul with 3:31 remaining that rocked the Big Dome and sent Shopinas.com fans into a frenzy.

The more experienced Aces, however, would not be denied as they exploited the Clickers’ inexperience in the endgame to foil their foes’ bid for a first-ever win in the PBA.

“Sayang,” said coach Franz Pumaren. “But again, we showed that we just didn’t give up. We sucked it in and made a run.”

Jazul was brilliant in his career game, drilling in six of nine shots from rainbow territory to pace Shopinas.com with a game-best 24 points even as Jojo Duncil displayed a wondrous all-around performance with 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

Duncil, though, turned out as the goat after turning the ball over in the Clickers’ last offensive set with 11.2 seconds left in the ball game.

Even with their 11th straight defeat, Pumaren remained positive of his squad’s chances of barging into the playoffs.

“Our fate is in our hands and the other teams’ hands,” he added. “Ang maganda dito, we have to win our last three games.”

Sonny Thoss showed who’s the boss down low with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks while his frontcourt partner, Jayr Reyes, was equally dominant after posting 13 markers, 17 boards, four dimes and four blocks.

On the other hand, JR Sena and Paolo Hubalde added eight points each for Shopinas.com and Magi Sison and Elmer Espiritu had seven markers apiece.

The scores:

Alaska (86) - Thoss 15, Reyes 13, Baguio 12, Custodio 10, Dela Cruz 9, Baracael 8, Tenorio 8, Salamat 4, Bugia 4, Eman 3

Shopinas.com (80) - Jazul 24, Duncil 13, Sena 8, Hubalde 8, Sison 7, Espiritu 7, Escobal 6, Ritualo 3, Mirza 2, Daa 2, Menor 0, Aquino 0, Se 0

Quarters: 19-18, 45-40, 71-58, 86-80

Duncil must step up anew for the Clickers tomorrow as he will be pitted against LA Tenorio. (Photo by Jerome Ascano/Griffin Sports)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

On a mission in their last four PBA Philippine Cup elimination round games, the Shopinas.com Clickers hope to spark a much-needed resurgence when they meet the Alaska Aces tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Coach Franz Pumaren has stressed to his wards after the Talk N’ Text loss that it is still possible for the Clickers to snatch a slot in the quarterfinals but they have to start winning games in order for them to catch up with idle Powerade.

And Shopinas.com attempts to take that first step tomorrow against a team that has won two of its last three games to stay in the hunt for the playoffs despite losing their first six matches.

Alaska scalped the Tigers, 121-111, in their tiff last Friday and will bring that momentum against the Clickers, who have lost all their games in the tournament by whopping margins.

Jojo Duncil and JR Sena has carried the league’s newcomers of late but that has not been enough to book a first-ever victory for Pumaren and the franchise in its debut conference.

A loss by Shopinas.com virtually shuts the door on whatever slim playoff chances they have now.

The Texters' defense proved too much for Dennis Daa. (Photo by Josh Albelda/Ignite Media)

By Josiah Israel Albelda

(UPDATE 1) - And the skid has reached double digits.

The Shopinas.com Clickers slid to their 10th straight loss, bowing to the Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters, 83-96, in yet another demoralizing finish in the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Like in their defeat to Barangay Ginebra last weekend, the Clickers imploded in the second quarter after a strong start that had them breathing down the Texters’ necks at 27-28.

Speedy guard Jason Castro scored 10 of his game-high 17 points while lanky forward Japeth Aguilar drilled in six of his own in a backbreaking 23-4 run that turned the game around and left Shopinas.com gasping for air at 51-31, halftime.

The Clickers mounted an uprising in the third, cutting the deficit to 14 at 63-49 after an RJ Jazul trey, but Talk N’ Text quickly responded with their own 13-0 blast to finally put the game out of reach, 76-49, with only a minute left in the third quarter.

And even though the league newcomer outscored the defending champs, 31-20, in the final canto, it was not enough to send them reeling to their 10th defeat in 10 games, and gifting the Texters their seventh win in eight matches, tops in the league.

Despite the loss, Shopinas.com coach Franz Pumaren appreciated his wards’ efforts in the second half.

“We just showed that we just won’t give up,” Pumaren said. “But we have to play the whole 48 minutes and be more consistent.”

With only four games left on the calendar, the Clickers’ hopes of barging into the quarterfinals have all but vanished but Pumaren stressed to his players that going into the playoffs is “hard but not impossible.”

Jojo Duncil led Shopinas.com with 16 points and seven rebounds while Elmer Espiritu contributed 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Pong Escobal, in his first game as a Clicker, delivered 13 markers in 14 effective minutes on the floor.

Meanwhile, Castro finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists while Aguilar had a monster game with 16 markers, 11 boards, three assists, one steal and five blocks.

The scores:

Talk N’ Text (96) - Castro 17, Aguilar 16, De Ocampo 10, Carey 10, Dillinger 8, Williams 8, Gamalinda 6, Oreta 5, Raymundo 4, Weinstein 4, Fonacier 4, Membrere 2, Lao 2

Shopinas.com (83) – Duncil 16, Espiritu 13, Escobal 13, Jazul 7, Sena 6, Menor 6, Hubalde 5, Sison 4, Aquino 4, Ritualo 4, Daa 3, Mirza 2, Canlas 0

Quarters: 19-17, 51-32, 76-52, 96-83