With PBL standouts Chester Tolomia and Gilbert Malabanan at the helm, the Altas won four of their seven games in the first round but suddenly took a skid in the second where they absorbed painful losses to Letran, 70-71, and giant-killer Philippine Christian University, 69-74.
Tolomia, one of the hottest amateur players in the country today, was simply not in his element against PCU last Monday when he was limited to a dozen points, his lowest output so far this season. Malabanan just couldn’t carry the fight by himself despite scoring 33 points.
The Blazers, on the other hand, are fresh from a 72-69 victory over San Sebastian last Thursday as they snapped a five-game slump for a 3-5 slate. The only thing going for Perpetual in the 2 p.m. match is a 75-71 victory over St. Benilde in the first round.
Mapua, sharing second with San Sebastian at 5-3, takes on a battered San Beda squad in the other seniors match at 5:30 p.m. The Cardinals have won five of their last six games while the Red Lions have lost their last seven games after an opening-day win over PCU.
Five games scheduled last Thursday were called off due to a damp, slippery floor caused by heavy rains. Last Monday, the seniors match between Mapua and Letran was also called due to a malfunctioning electronic game clock.