MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo tries to nurse a bruised ego as it clashes with Letran at the resumption of the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup today at the Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Blue Eagles saw their big three-game run snap with a 57-63 setback to the Tigers last Saturday as Aljon Mariano and Kevin Ferrer combined at endgame to carry the España-based squad to victory.
Kiefer Ravena, who normed 19.6 points in Ateneo’s first three outings, all wins, struggled for 6-of-22 from the field for a total of seven points. The normally steady Ravena missed several uncontested layups, including a breakaway layup in the final 25 seconds.
The Eagles are expected to bounce back strong in their 2:30 p.m. match with the Knights, who are expected to bank on Franz Dysam, Mark Cruz, Jonathan Belorio and Raymond Almazan and former high school star Rey Nambatac.
San Sebastian, meanwhile, collides with winless Southwestern U at 12:45 p.m., also trying to get back into the thick of things after losing to Ateneo, 70-75, last week.
Despite fielding three Africans, Southwestern University has lost its recent matches and is hard pressed coming up with a big game against the Stags.
“It’s a learning experience for us,†said SWU head coach Raul Alcoseba. “The competition in Manila is much bigger and intense. We will learn from this.â€