Skidding Altas battle Blazers

After losing its first two games in the second round, Perpetual Help tries to recover lost ground today when it takes on defending champion St. Benilde in the resumption of the 77th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

With PBL standouts Chester Tolomia and Gilbert Malabanan at the helm, the Altas won four of their seven games in the first round but suddenly took a skid in the second where they absorbed painful losses to Letran, 70-71, and giant-killer Philippine Christian University, 69-74.

Tolomia, one of the hottest amateur players in the country today, was simply not in his element against PCU last Monday when he was limited to a dozen points, his lowest output so far this season. Malabanan just couldn’t carry the fight by himself despite scoring 33 points.

The Blazers, on the other hand, are fresh from a 72-69 victory over San Sebastian last Thursday as they snapped a five-game slump for a 3-5 slate. The only thing going for Perpetual in the 2 p.m. match is a 75-71 victory over St. Benilde in the first round.

Mapua, sharing second with San Sebastian at 5-3, takes on a battered San Beda squad in the other seniors match at 5:30 p.m. The Cardinals have won five of their last six games while the Red Lions have lost their last seven games after an opening-day win over PCU.

Five games scheduled last Thursday were called off due to a damp, slippery floor caused by heavy rains. Last Monday, the seniors match between Mapua and Letran was also called due to a malfunctioning electronic game clock.