Archers eye outright berth versus Tigers

Defending champion La Salle hopes to gain outright entry to the Final Four against University of Santo Tomas which inflicted some of the most painful setbacks to the Archers during the glory years of the Tigers.

Now fortunes have shifted and the five-peat seeking champs go for the semifinals heavily favored against the Tigers in the featured match of the 65th UAAP basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Unbeaten in eight games, La Salle battles UST in the 4 p.m. encounter. Adamson’s fighting Falcons play winless National Bulldogs in the first senior match at 1:30 p.m. The four teams’ junior counterparts will also see action in the day.

The Archers have all the advantages but La Salle coach Franz Pumaren appears wary of coach Aric del Rosario’s Tigers, whom they barely survived, 81-76, in their first round meeting on July 27.

"Every advantage we have will not be a factor when you are facing a talented team like UST," said Pumaren.

UST is expected to rely anew on its talented starting five of Cyrus Baguio, Nino Gelig, Christian Luanzon, Frederick Hubalde and Alwyn Espiritu but without worthy second stringers, the Tigers would be hard put in keeping pace with the talented Archers.

Del Rosario must find a way of limiting, if not stopping, La Salle’s prolific scoring trio of Mike Cortez, Mark Cardona and Joseph Yeo, who have been dishing out impressive games lately.

Alam naman nating lahat malakas ang La Salle pero kung pagbabasihan ‘yung unang game namin, malaki ang tsansa naming talunin sila," said Del Rosario who steered the Tigers to a four-peat from 1993 to 1996.

The Falcons, meanwhile, hope to move within reach of the faltering Ateneo Eagles (4-4) as they aim for win No. 4 against the Bulldogs. The Luigi Trillo-mentored Falcons are currently bunched at fifth spot with the University of the Philippines Maroons and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws with 3-5 slates, their best start since a pair of winless seasons.