Eagles try to rebound vs Bulldogs

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo tries to recover lost ground as it squares off with unpredictable National University even as University of the East and University of the Philippines collide in a duel of winless teams in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum today.

The Eagles have never dropped two games in row the last four years and they hope to rebound again from an uneasy loss to arch rivals La Salle Archers last week with a victory over the Bulls in their 4 p.m. encounter.

“We did not finish strong (against the Green Archers). I just hope we can re-group, every game in the league is not easy,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black.

The defending back-to-back champions blew a big lead in the fourth quarter and took a 63-66 loss at the hands of the Archers. Worse they found themselves out of the magic four and into fifth place with a 2-2 slate.

The last time the Loyola-based cagers dropped two straight games was in Games Two and Three of the 2006 best-of-three finals that UST won in one of the most improbable title conquests in the league.

But against the Bulldogs, the Eagles will have to contend with the imposing presence of Emmanuel Mbe of Cameroon, who had 10 points and 14 rebounds in a heartbreaking 58-59 loss to the Tigers last Thursday.

The Bulldogs, just half a game behind the Eagles at 2-3, are currently the league’s best defensive team, limiting their first five opponents to an average of 62.6 points.

Meanwhile, the Warriors and the Maroons go for their first win in five games at each other’s expense as they clash in the 2 p.m. opener.