La Salle, UST face winless UAAP squads

BARELY surviving their last two matches, La Salle and University of Santo Tomas try to post more convincing triumphs against winless opponents in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers, who won their last two games by just a bucket, hit the floor at 4 p.m. versus an Adamson side hoping to brush off last Wednesday’s horrendous outing.

Also winning by just an average margin of 1.5 points, the Tigers tackle the long struggling University of the Philippines at 2 p.m.

“We have the potential, we have everything to beat a tough team, but we just have to focus more,” said UST center Karim Abdul.

The Tigers shoot for a share of second at 3-1, while the Archers also aim for a third victory in five games.

“We need the players to be consistent,” said UST coach Bong Dela Cruz, who has yet to draw take-charge performances from Abdul, Kevin Ferrer and Aljon Mariano.

“As a veteran team, we can’t have that attitude [of taking other teams lightly].”

The Tigers, the runner-up in the last two seasons, looked out-of-sync yet again last week but luckily escaped the Falcons, 50-49.

Although the Archers also haven’t looked as menacing this season, the defending champions rose from a 0-2 start with back-to-back escapes over National University (57-55) and University of the East (60-58).

Jeron Teng starred anew by dishing out crucial assists in the winning plays of both thrillers as Jason Perkins, Norbert Torres and rookie Prince Rivero stepped up as well.

“Anyone can score for our team, so we just try to look for the open guy,” said Teng, last year’s Finals MVP.

The Archers remain favored over the Falcons, who are coming off an embarrassing 37-point whipping from the Bulldogs, 25-62.

“We’re trying to stay positive,” said Adamson coach Kenneth Duremdes.

The Maroons, winless in four games just like the Falcons, hope to snap a miserable 25-game losing skid since 2012.