Tams battle slumping Tigers sans Cervantes

MANILA, Philippines - Frontrunner Far Eastern University Tamaraws seek to put some distance between themselves and their closest pursuers today when they take on struggling University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball tourney at the PhilSports Arena.

At 8-1, the Tamaraws are just one win ahead of Adamson and Ateneo (7-2). But the Morayta-based cagers will have to shoot for their ninth triumph in the 4 p.m. setto without starting forward Reil Cervantes, who will serve out his one-game suspension against the Tigers (3-6).

Cervantes, one of the top five statistical points leaders after the first round, incurred an unsportsmanlike foul in the Tams’ 83-77 overtime win over University of the East Sunday – a clothesline tackle on Paul Lee – for his second infraction in the season that merited a ban in their next outing.

Worse, Hippolyte Noundou hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury he suffered when the Tams swept the first round last Aug. 7 at the expense of UST. The Cameroonian sat out their loss to the Falcons but suited up against the Warriors last time.

“Our big men should step up,” Capacio told The STAR, referring to slotman Aldrech Ramos, and frontliners like Mark Bringas and Carl Cruz. “Even Pipo (Noundou) isn’t 100 percent yet so Reil (Cervantes) will really be a big loss.”

Guards RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo and forwards JR Cawaling and Paul Sanga are also expected to rise to the occasion against the Tigers’ small men, known to be deadly from beyond the arc.

The Tigers, for their part, are hard-pressed to snap a four-game slide and resuscitate their bid for a semis seat, especially now that fourth-running La Salle is three wins ahead at 6-3.

In the first game, Adamson looks to break out of a two-way logjam with Ateneo at No. 2 when the Falcons battle the UE Warriors (2-7).