Falcons, Eagles look to tighten their perch on top

Games Today (Filoil Flying V Centre) 1 p.m. – Ateneo vs UE 4 p.m. – UP vs Adamson

Adamson and defending champion Ateneo try to solidify their grip on the top two spots as they take on separate opponents today in 81st UAAP men’s basketball at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The AdU Falcons are unbeaten with a 3-0 card while the Blue Eagles are tied with Far Eastern University and the De La Salle for second to fourth places at 2-1.

Adamson looks to stay perfect when it clashes with struggling University of the Philippines (1-2) at 4 p.m., after the 1 p.m. match pitting Ateneo against winless University of the East (0-3).

Adamson head coach Franz Pumaren said his team needs to be more mindful of their task after nearly dodging the bullet against University of Santo Tomas in their previous game.

“We have to be consistent with our defense. In our last game, we relaxed a little bit. So we have to be more focused even if we’re in control like in the game against UST,” said Pumaren.

“We also have to execute more with our plays. Sometimes we tend to veer away from what we are doing. So we have to stick to the offensive execution.”

UP opened the season with a win over UE but then lost to Ateneo in a game where UP coach Bo Perasol was thrown out. The Fighting Maroons next bowed to the FEU Tamaraws with Perasol serving a one-game suspension.

Pumaren knows Perasol’s return will fire up the Maroons.

“We expect UP to bounce back hard after playing what I think their worst game of the season in their last game (against FEU). It’s going to be a tough game; as I’ve said games will be tough as we move forward in this tournament,” Pumaren said.