By Waylon Galvez
Games Today
(Mall of Asia Arena)
2 p.m. – Ateneo vs UST
4 p.m. – UP vs De La Salle
Denied the last time, De La Salle tries again to earn an outright semifinals berth as it clashes with University of the Philippines today in UAAP 81st season basketball at the Mall of Asia Arena.
La Salle lost for only the second straight time this season – and third overall since Game 3 of the championship series last year – to archrival and defending champion Ateneo 71-62 last Sunday that dropped the Taft-based squad’s record to 8-5.
Still, La Salle coach Louie Gonzales likes his team’s chances.
“That’s what I told the players, that we still control our destiny, and that things are still in our hands,” said Gonzales.
The game between La Salle and UP is set at 4 p.m. after the 2 p.m. encounter between Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas, a team already out of Final Four contention with a 5-8 card.
A win, if it happens, will formalize La Salle’s entry to the Final Four and set up a rematch with No. 2 Adamson (10-3). Ateneo (11-2) will face the No. 4 qualifier.
A loss, however, will complicate things as UP – currently tied at fourth spot with Far Eastern on 7-6 cards – will automatically claim the third spot due to a superior quotient.
If that happens, La Salle will have to wait for the outcome of the FEU-Adamson game on Sunday since an FEU victory will earn the Tams a playoff with the Green Archers for the last berth in the semifinals.
A triple tie at 8-6 among UP, La Salle and FEU will propel the Fighting Maroons at No. 3 due, leaving the Tamaraws and the Archers to dispute the last slot.
“We know the consequences, that’s why we are going all out, we are going for the win,” said Gonzales.
UP is likewise determined to earn its first semifinal berth in more than a decade, or since the 1997 Final Four.
“We really would want to compete with the best,” said UP coach Bo Perasol, whose Maroons are hoping to score a repeat of their 67-61 victory over the Archers in the first round. “That’s what we stand for. We want to be excellent. We want to be honorable.”
