Knights duel Altas; Stags fight Blazers

LETRAN and Perpetual Help shoot for a piece of the lead when they clash today in the 88th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Knights—a week removed from their impressive 80-74 conquest of the San Sebastian Stags—set out as the favorite in the 6 p.m. showdown with the Altas.

With his team’s stock rising, Letran coach Louie Alas stressed the importance of consistency.

“The league doesn’t end with one win,” said Alas. “It’s hard to gauge how far we will go from that win. We have to work harder.”

The Stags hope to bounce back at 4 p.m. against the St. Benilde Blazers, who are also seeking a share of top spot with the Jose Rizal U Bombers.

St. Benilde needed a late surge anchored by Carlo Lastimosa to rally past Lyceum, 70-61, Monday.

But the Stags offer a tougher test this time with players who starred in their title appearances the last three seasons back in their lineup.

Ian Sangalang, Calvin Abueva and Ronald Pascual lead the Stags’ bid. Pascual failed to score against Letran—his first game since late last year when he sustained a knee injury.