Ateneo stakes clean slate vs UST

MANILA—Ateneo tries to inch closer to a perfect first round when it battles University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Thursday.

And the well-oiled Blue Eagles—who are just two wins away from a 7-0 sweep of the first round—only see minor adjustments against the skidding Tigers at 3 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

Far Eastern University, also on a roll at 4-1, aims to solidify its hold of second spot against the University of the Philippines at 1 p.m.

After drawing solid games from his starting unit, Ateneo coach Norman Black said he expects more bench production in their bid for a sixth straight victory.

The Eagles’ first five—Nico Salva, Kirk Long, Emman Monfort, Kiefer Ravena and Greg Slaughter—all scored in double figures, while the rest of the team combined for 11 in their 77-57 rout of the Maroons last Saturday.

“When I moved Kiefer to the starting lineup, the second team started struggling a little bit offensively,” said Black. “I’ve been telling them as long as you can defend and hold the other team down, then you’ve done your job. But of course, at some point, you’re going to have to get some offense from the second team.”

FEU coach Bert Flores also expects some improvements from the Tamaraws, who are coming off a thrilling 62-59 escape over the Tigers.

“I hope we can work on our ball movement and defense,” noted Flores.

Rookie Cris Tolomia capped his stellar outing with a game-winning triple off a pass from star guard RR Garcia in the Tamaraws’ come-from-behind win last Saturday.

The Tigers dropped their last two assignments after winning their first two.