“Mighty Eight” joins “Super Six” against struggling Pirates; Altas aim to continue winning run

The San Beda “Super Six” following their victory over Arellano last June 24. (Arvyn Peter Radovan / FCF)

GAMES TODAY (JULY 2, 2012) – THE ARENA IN SAN JUAN
4:00pm – San Sebastian vs Perpetual Help
6:00pm – San Beda vs Lyceum

Eight days removed from the amazing run by the San Beda “Super Six,” the Red Lions (1-0) seek to follow through the feat with the return of the “Mighty Eight” from their one game suspension on Monday in the continuation of the 88th NCAA at The Arena in San Juan City.

Standing in their way, however, are the upset-minded Lyceum of the Philippines (0-2) who are currently on a two-game slide following successive fourth quarter collapses in winnable games that left them shaking their heads in disbelief.

Tipoff for the San Beda-Lyceum showdown is pegged at 6:00pm.

Meanwhile, surprise early leaders University of Perpetual Help (2-0) will undergo a serious acid test against another contender in San Sebastian College (1-1) in the day’s curtain raiser at 4:00pm.

Led by two-guards Jett Vidal and Earl Thompson, the Altas are now on the rise with the pieces falling into place — a new system under legendary head coach Aric del Rosario, as well as plugging in the gaping holes in the 4 and 5 spots with the insertion of Nigerians Nosa Omorogbe and Femi Babayemi.

Following their opening day loss to Letran, the Stags barely escaped the clutches of St. Benilde last Saturday as their end game poise shined through with key defensive stops that blocked the Blazers on their tracks.

Calvin Abueva posted yet another monster performance with 23 points and 23 rebounds in that game, while Ronald Pascual posted 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting from three-point range which effectively put doubts on his form following a lengthy recover from his knee injury to rest.