LA SALLE seeks to sustain its imperious form against Ateneo today when the two fierce rivals dispute a title spot, even as Arellano hopes to continue its giant-killing run in the semifinals of the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.
The Green Archers, flourishing under rookie coach Aldin Ayo, shoots for a repeat of their dominant first-round win in their 4 p.m. duel with the Blue Eagles at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
After bund-ling out defending champion San Beda in the quarterfinals, the Chiefs face a National University side that is just two years removed from winning the championship in the UAAP.
The Bulldogs survived the Chiefs, 68-65, in their elimination-round clash that saw NU center Matthew Aquino knock in the game winning basket.
“Hopefully, we have learned from our mistakes from our last meeting,” said Arellano coach Jerry Codiñera, who steered Arellano to its only NCAA finals stint two years ago.
The Bulldogs have coped well despite the graduation of several key players from the squad as coach Eric Altamirano takes pride at the way his team has played defensively in the tournament.
“We have made our mark with defense,” said Altamirano. “And it also spurs our offense.”
The spotlight will again be on the La Salle-Ateneo clash which proved to be a mismatch in the eliminations when the Archers demolished the Eagles, 98-66.
Cameroonian center Ben Mbala and veteran Jeron Teng have been instrumental in the Archers’ dominance with a combined average of close to 46 points an outing. Mbala norms 14.8 rebounds.
The Eagles will also have their hands full figuring out a way to break the pressure defense implemented by Ayo, who used the same style in leading Letran to the NCAA title last year.