Blue Eagles, Bulldogs picked over UAAP rivals

#4 Nico Elorde (left) of Ateneo drives off against Rey Gallarza (right) of UP during UAAP games at Mall of Asia Arena. EDWIN BELLOSILLO

MANILA, Philippines—Hoping to build on early shockers, Ateneo and National University vie to stay on top against separate opponents in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Wednesday.

The Blue Eagles, who just stunned defending champion La Salle, go for a third straight victory against the perennially struggling University of the Philippines at 2 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.

Also overlooked in the preseason, the Bulldogs shoot for the same goal versus a La Salle side determined to avoid an alarming 0-3 drop in the second game at 4 p.m.

“I think we can still be better,” said Ateneo coach Bo Perasol. “We’re just at 2-0, there are still so many challenges.”

NU coach Eric Altamirano hopes his Bulldogs got a much-needed boost from their victories over last year’s finalist University of Santo Tomas (59-40) and UP (70-59).

“Hopefully the two wins will give us the confidence playing La Salle,” he said. “They’re a very big team, so we have to find ways to play against their height.”

That size advantage is what the Archers hope to bank on as they also try to cope with the absence of starting point guard Thomas Torres.

Torres fractured his right ankle in the Ateneo-La Salle match last Sunday, an injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

“We just have to toughen up a little bit more on the defensive end,” said La Salle coach Juno Sauler. “We also have to find that balance between attacking with the bigs and attacking with the guards.”

La Salle star Jeron Teng also expects the Archers to rise after dropping their first two assignments against Far Eastern University (77-82) and Ateneo (86-97).

“We’re not pressing the panic button, it’s still early,” said Teng. “We still have a lot of time to adjust.”

The Eagles, too, know it’s too early to feel confident even if star guard Kiefer Ravena found a solid support in Chris Newsome, Von Pessumal, Alfonso Gotladera and rookie Arvin Tolentino.

“It’s still a test of consistency,” said Ravena, who averaged an impressive 25.5 points in his first two games. “That’s what we need.”