Hot Tigers eye semis vs Eagles

MANILA, Philippines - Streaking University of Santo Tomas shoots for a Final Four berth today against an Ateneo side determined to close in on the leaders in the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Riding the crest of a five-game roll, the Tigers seek to sustain their fiery form in the 4 p.m. main game against the Blue Eagles, 5-4,  and meet their initial goal of making the semis again after missing the playoffs in Season 77.

UST coach Bong dela Cruz, who has already surpassed the five-win mark he posted as a rookie coach last year, braces for another tough outing with the joint third-running Eagles. In their first meeting last Sept. 26, the Tigers needed to fight back from a 16-point deficit to steal the win, 68-58.

“Lumamang sila ng malaki noong first meeting namin. Kung anong mali namin sa game na iyon, i-correct namin (They had a big lead against us the first time around so we’ll review what mistakes we made and make the necessary corrections),” said dela Cruz.

The Eagles boosted their semis bid by routing Adamson last Saturday, 87-72.

“It’s a very important game especially since it’s all about positioning (for the Final 4) right now,” said AdMU’s Bo Perasol. “We actually had a good game against UST, except for the fourth quarter. We have to fix that. They’re a strong team but we can match up with them.”

Ateneo, meanwhile, imposed a penalty on player John Apacible, suspending the sophomore power-forward from the team after he got involved in a commotion on Timog Avenue over the weekend and was videoed on a drunken rant against another driver.

“He was suspended by the coaching staff up to the end of the elimination round,” AdMU representative to the UAAP Ricky Palou told The STAR yesterday.

The suspension, he stressed, could be extended past the elims or even lifted in time for the playoffs “depending on outcome of the ongoing investigation by the school.”

In the 2 p.m. opener, embattled defending champion National U (3-6) looks to revive its semis aspirations against cellar-dwelling Adamson (1-8).

The Bulldogs have lost their last three matches, the latest being their 57-65 setback to UST last Saturday, and face the daunting task of picking as many wins as possible in their last five assignments to save their season.

The Falcons won’t have starting guard Joseph Nalos for this duel as he serves his suspension from his disqualifying foul in Saturday’s loss to the Eagles.