Knights try to regroup against Blazers today

LEADING Letran back from twin upsets will be the main concern of Kevin Alas when the Knights tangle with the St. Benilde Blazers today in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Knights and the Blazers clash at 4 p.m. before Emilio Aguinaldo College, tied with both the Knights and the Blazers at 1-2, also try to recover from two consecutive heartbreakers against Mapua at 6.

Tagged among the favorites, Letran kicked off Season 88 with a shock 80-74 victory over powerhouse San Sebastian in the opener.

But just when the Knights looked set for a promising run, they absorbed a pair of stunning losses against Perpetual Help (66-69) and the erstwhile winless Arellano (67-77) just last Saturday.

“No excuses,” said chief gunner Alas, whose father and head coach Louie, will try to do without big men Jam Cortes and Raymond Almazan.

Cortes will serve a one-game suspension after getting ejected in the Knights’ loss to the Chiefs where the burly veteran got slapped with a flagrant foul 2.

The 6-foot-6 Almazan, meanwhile, will likely sit out for the second straight game due to an illness.

Another Letran big man, Jonathan Belorio, got away with a stern warning even after getting thrown out for incurring two flagrant fouls in the game against the Chiefs.

EAC, meanwhile, hopes to recover behind Noube Happi and Russel Yaya after two painful setbacks in three days.

Just last Saturday, Lyceum picked up its first win, 83-81, at the expense of the Generals, who two days earlier, also put up a strong fight before bowing to Jose Rizal University, 79-90.