MANILA, Philippines — De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University, locked in a three-way tie with Far Eastern University for third to fifth places, renew their storied rivalry as both teams continue their Final Four push on Saturday in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men's Basketball Tournament at the Araneta Coliseum. The Green Archers know that repeating their 83-76 first-round victory over the Blue Eagles will be no easy task when the rivals collide on Halloween night at 6 p.m. Meanwhile, National University looks to get back on the winning track and strengthen its hold on the No. 2 spot against a struggling University of Santo Tomas side in the 2:30 p.m. curtain-raiser. The Bulldogs edged the Growling Tigers, 87-85, in an overtime thriller during the first round, with Reinhard Jumamoy banking in the game-winning triple. Carrying a 6-3 record, NU hopes to keep within striking distance of University of the Philippines, which currently leads the standings with a 7-2 slate. UST, meanwhile, holds a 4-5 record and is tied with Adamson University for sixth place. The Growling Tigers can ill afford to drop more games if they hope to keep their bid for a third consecutive Final Four appearance on track. La Salle and Ateneo, however, are not only firmly in the Final Four picture but also remain in contention for a top-two finish and the twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. Tied with the Tamaraws at 5-4, the Green Archers and Blue Eagles are just one game behind the second-running Bulldogs. The winner of their rivalry showdown could gain a share of second place, provided NU falls to UST earlier in the day. Despite playing without injured guard Jacob Cortez, La Salle ground out a 92-80 victory over UST last Sunday, with JC Macalalag and Doy Dungo leading the way. The duo posted career-high scoring outputs and combined for 10 of the Green Archers' season-best 14 three-pointers. "It's just a matter of time kung kailan lalabas [laro ko]. Kasi kami naman ni Doy (Dungo), araw-araw naman kami nagpa-practice. Sabi ko lang, the opportunity kung kailan dumating, just stay ready. Hopefully, tuloy-tuloy na kami," Macalalag said. For Ateneo, it was the dynamic duo of rookie Kieffer Alas and team captain Jared Bahay who delivered in the clutch, knocking down crucial triples down the stretch to power the Blue Eagles to a 69-65 victory over NU and complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs. "It's just a matter of reminding. Normal naman na may emotions yung games. As a leader, I always remind them to stay locked, this is not over. It's either gonna be we're celebrating or sad for the loss. Sabi ko sa kanila always, laruin niyo yung laro niyo, and let's see kung ano kalabasan ng games," Bahay said. Both the Green Archers and Blue Eagles have won their last two games, with the longtime rivals looking to build momentum after spending much of the first round in the lower half of the standings. "Yung plano namin is to put our win [against NU] aside kasi we all know the rivalry, Ateneo-La Salle. We're just gonna lock in on that, so we're very excited. They beat us last round, they got the best of us. Hopefully, God-willing, we can hopefully get the job done," said Alas. NU, meanwhile, has split its first two assignments in the second round. With consistency becoming increasingly crucial at this stage of the season, coach Jeff Napa's Bulldogs will look to string together wins as they pursue their goals for the campaign. In the women's division, NU seeks to strengthen its hold on second place against FEU at 10 a.m., while Adamson looks to tighten its grip on third place when it faces Ateneo at noon. The Lady Bulldogs carry a 6-2 record, one game ahead of the third-running Lady Falcons (5-3). The Lady Tamaraws, meanwhile, are 4-4 and need a victory to stay within reach of the top four. Sitting in sixth place with a 3-5 slate, the Blue Eagles must start piling up wins to keep their Final Four hopes alive. TMT