Lions battle Maroons; Cobras take on Cardinals

THREE teams try to rebound from defeat even as Cebu’s Southwestern University kicks off its bid today in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

NCAA champion San Beda, stunned by Centro Escolar U last week, hopes to reclaim a piece of the Group B lead when it tackles University of the Philippines at 3:15 p.m.

UAAP titlist National U also tries to bounce back against Adamson at 5 p.m., while Jose Rizal U aims to recover versus Emilio Aguinaldo College at 11:45 a.m. in Group A.

On Wednesday, University of Santo Tomas and Letran boosted their quarterfinal hopes with narrow victories while St. Benilde stunned Far Eastern U.

The Tigers slipped past the Maroons, 76-72; the Knights hammered out a 78-73 triumph over the Falcons; and the Blazers scored a 70-48 blowout win over the Tamaraws.

The SWU Cobras, champions in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., collide with winless Mapua in Group B at 1:30 p.m.

Led by Mac Tallo and Landry Sanjo, the Cobras hope to improve on their surprise fourth-place finish last year even as they see action in seven games in two weeks.

The Lions, meanwhile, vie to join idle University of the East and CEU on top again after a shock loss to the Scorpions, 69-80.

Looking far from sharp in their last outing, the Lions strive for a better shooting performance with Ola Adeogun, Art dela Cruz and Baser Amer versus the Maroons.