Tigers battle Maroons, eye share of UAAP lead

SANTO Tomas U’s Kim Lo soars for a layup off UE’s Dan Irvin Alberto during their match Sunday won by the Tigers, 85-69. August dela Cruz

University of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio expects his Tigers to stay sharp even minus veteran Jeric Teng in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today.

The Tigers—coming off their most convincing win despite the absence of the injured Teng—gun for a share of the lead against the winless University of the Philippines at 4 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“This team has a lot to show,” said Jarencio. “Karim (Abdul) has been consistent and we’re now 9- to 10-deep [with our rotation].”

A fifth straight victory will push the Tigers on top with four-time champion Ateneo and Far Eastern University, last year’s finalists who share the lead at 5-1.

Struggling squads Adamson and University of the East clash in the first game at 2 p.m.

Unlike the Tigers, the Falcons still haven’t adjusted from the absence of main man Alex Nuyles, who’s out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.

“This is where we miss Nuyles, when nobody’s willing to take the shot when the game is on the line,” said coach Leo Austria after his Falcons absorbed a narrow loss to La Salle, 56-52, last Sunday.

Teng, though, may be back sooner than expected after sustaining a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury on his left knee.

“He recovers quickly, he just needs some rest,” said Jarencio after the Tigers hardly missed Teng’s absence in their 85-69 rout of the Warriors last Sunday.

Teng, who missed his first game after 48 consecutive outings, averages 16 points behind Abdul’s team-best 17 markers.

But Jarencio still warned his favored Tigers against the hard-luck Maroons, who painfully dropped four of their last five games by just an average of four points.

“UP is a dangerous team,” said Jarencio. “They have a good system, they’re well coached and they have players who can explode any time. We can’t overlook them.”