Blue Eagles seek 4th victory against Bulldogs today

Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo. INQUIRER PHOTO/AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Ateneo may have found a gem in Arvin Tolentino, but the rookie forward would rather stay out of the spotlight when the Blue Eagles try to keep the solo lead in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today.

“I’m not concerned with my individual game, I just want the team to win,” said the 6-foot-5 Tolentino, who has scored in double figures in two games. “I want to help the seniors like Kiefer [Ravena] and [Chris] Newsome. I don’t care if I score 20, 10 or zero, as long as our team wins.”

The Eagles shoot for a fourth straight victory against a National University side coming off a first loss at 4 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.

University of Santo Tomas go for back-to-back victories versus a rebuilding Adamson squad in the first game at 2 p.m.

Perasol is not surprised that the Bulldogs, who narrowly lost to defending champion La Salle, 55-57, have remained a contender even with the departure of two-time MVP Ray Parks.

“They’re very tough,” Perasol said of the Bulldogs, who are running third at 2-1. “They always have a good system, so they’ll always be right there contending. Most of them have matured under coach Eric’s [Altamirano] system. It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

The Eagles are fresh off an 86-75 drubbing of University of the Philippines where Tolentino, an early favorite for the top rookie plum, fired 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

UST coach Bong dela Cruz, meanwhile, hopes his Tigers have hit their stride after recovering from a pitiful 19-point loss to the Bulldogs with a thrilling 69-67 triumph over Far Eastern University.

“Pressure will always be there, but what’s important is we improve every game,” Dela Cruz said of his Tigers.

The Tigers are favored over the Falcons, who will miss the suspended Don Trollano.

“It’s another blow for us considering he’s one of our reliable scorers,” Adamson coach Kenneth Duremdes said of Trollano, who averaged 10.5 points in the last two games.

The Falcons are coming off a lopsided loss against University of the East, 72-99, where Trollano got slapped with a disqualifying foul that merits an automatic suspension.