Generals collide with Knights; Blazers, Altas hopes to snap losing woes

Letran clashes with Emilio Aguinaldo and St. Benilde tangles with Perpetual Help tomorrow in a pair of duels among four teams currently in the bottom of the standings and seeking to end their first round campaign on a bright note in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Knights and the Generals are currently tied at sixth spot on 2-5 (win-loss) cards and a victory in their 2 p.m. encounter would push them in a share of fifth spot with the Arellano U Chiefs (3-5).

The Blazers and the Altas, the lowest rank teams to date with 1-6 and 0-7 records, respectively, hope to get out of the rut as they shoot for a morale-boosting win that should somehow breathe new life to their flickering Final Four hopes.

Both Letran and EAC are coming off heartbreaking losses with the former dropping a 76-78 decision to Arellano U and the latter succumbing to Jose Rizal, 70-74, last Friday.

“We hope to end our first round with a win,” said Letran coach Louie Alas.

“Our main goal is go into the second round with motivation, and we hope a win here would serve the purpose,” said EAC mentor Nomar Isla.

The Blazers are also reeling from a painful loss, a 61-86 drubbing at the hands of the San Sebastian Stags, the defending champions, Wednesday for their sixth setback against a win.

The Altas were even feeling worse as they blew what could have been a triumph by faltering in the fourth quarter for a 66-78 defeat to the Generals last Aug. 6.

It was Perpetual Help’s seventh consecutive loss in as many games.