UE, La Salle eye win no.3

By Anthony Divinagracia Posted Jul 20th 2013

University of the East (UE) hopes to sustain its winning form even as De La Salle University vies for no less than redemption as both teams collide today in the first round of the 76^th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Fired up by contrasting results in their previous outings, the Warriors and the Archers pit each others' motivation when they duke it out at 2 p.m.

The Warriors are coming off a 72-68 victory over defending champion Ateneo de Manila University last Wednesday with returning import Charles Mammie turning in a monstrous performance to give UE its second win.

Mammie terrorized Ateneo’s frontline no end – crashing the boards, whacking shots, and manhandling defenders – en route to a double-double tally of 20 points and a season-high 23 rebounds. He got ample backing from spitfire guard Roi Sumang who finished with 14 points.

La Salle on the other hand looks to erase the stigma of its freak 79-83 overtime loss against league-leading Far Eastern University a week ago.

Up by 13, the Archers suddenly imploded in the final 2:36 of regulation, allowing the Tamaraws to mount a huge comeback and essay their fourth straight win.

A win by the Warriors will improve their record to 3-3. La Salle though seeks the opposite result to catch third-running National University at 3-2.

Jeron Teng is expected to bounce back after failing to bail the Archers against FEU with four crucial misses from the line in overtime.

Despite scoring 25 points, the sophomore forward made just 3 of 11 freethrows and burned the extra period without a field goal.

With Mammie’s size and strength, the Archers' big men are sure to have a rough day negotiating the paint. Vastly improved center Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres, and rookie Jason Perkins are given the unenviable task of blocking the lights out of the hulking 6’8" Sierra Leone reinforcement on both ends.

Yet aside from Mammie, UE still has a bunch of serviceable inside operators in Chris Javier, JM Noble, Adi Santos, and Ivan Hernandez.

The game will air live on Studio 23, BALLS HD 167, and uaapsports.tv with a replay on the same day at 6 p.m. on BALLS SkyCable channel 34/Destiny Cable channel 36.