2025 UST Growling Tigers basketball team

The 2025 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team is representing the University of Santo Tomas in the ongoing 88th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The men's basketball tournament for the academic year 2025–26 began on September 20, 2025, and the host school for the season is also UST.^[1]

Three of the Growling Tigers' players from their 2024 roster have either graduated or used up their playing eligibility. Veterans Christian Manaytay and Miguel Pangilinan, together with Filipino American Chase Lane have all concluded their collegiate careers, with Manayatay declaring for the 2025 PBA rookie draft and getting selected in the first round. Three other players have also departed, including Mo Tounkara, their much-appreciated foreign student-athlete who decided to turn professional in his home region with the Basketball Africa League at the end of the school year. Manaytay averaged 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20.9 minutes in four years of playing college ball. Tounkara had a double-double average of 13.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in 28.5 minutes from his lone season with UST.^[4][5][6]

The official lineup for UST's 2025 campaign consists of ten holdovers, four rookies, and two players from their training pool. Among the rookies is Nigerian center Collins Awoke who came from the UAAP's high school ranks as the first FSA to win the Most Valuable Player award in Season 86 while suiting up for the rival NU–Nazareth Bullpups. He was a front runner for a back-to-back MVP title before the UAAP made a ruling that prohibits foreign players from winning such award. He ended up bagging the newly-created Best Foreign Student-Athlete honors in Season 87. His lofty per-game stats of 20.8 points, 18.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks in his senior high school year was testament to why he was the best player in the Juniors division.^[8]

Former Tiger Cubs Koji Buenaflor, Carl Manding, and team captain Charles Bucsit from the Season 87 Boys' basketball champion roster are the Growling Tigers' other rookies. Buenaflor, the 2025 National Basketball Training Center's fifth best high school player and Mythical team member of the National Finals, was being courted for recruitment by three other rival colleges before committing to the gold-and-white. He averaged 11.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in his senior year to help his team end their 24-year title drought. Manding, a member of the Under-18 national team that competed in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan, had initially committed to the Ateneo Blue Eagles before deciding to return to UST in August. The four freshmen are all eligible for five playing years beginning in Season 88.^[10][11][12]

The Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup games were aired via livestream on the Facebook pages of Filoil EcoOil Sports and Smart Sports, and Filoil EcoOil Sports' YouTube channel.

Elimination games are played in a double round-robin format and all of UST's games are televised on One Sports and the UAAP Varsity Channel and livestreamed through the Pilipinas Live app.

The consensus has not changed. During the UAAP's press launch in Greenhills, San Juan on September 15, the teams' head coaches still believe that the UP Fighting Maroons and the De La Salle Green Archers are the favorites to contend for the championship this season. But if anyone can play the spoiler's role, the coaches see either UST or the NU Bulldogs as the teams that are capable of pulling it off.^[26][27]

Much like the previous year, the UST community is in heightened anticipation due to their new recruits. The two graduating seniors in team captain Nic Cabañero and veteran point guard Forthsky Padrigao have both expressed the team's ultimate goal of going for the championship, unlike in the past year where they modestly tempered their expectations.

Getting to the Finals is a tall order for the Tigers. They have talented players, but they still show signs of inconsistency. Cabañero's shooting is still suspect, perhaps due to the old habit that he developed when his team had struggled during his first three years, and he would resort to one-on-one plays as the Tigers often relied on him for their offense. With Padrigao's arrival last year, offensive plays have been run smoother, but he is yet to regain his shooting form from his playing days with Ateneo. Mo Tounkara, their Malian center was their anchor on defense, and his double-digit point production was also a factor, as only he and Cabañero were the reliable scorers from last year. Tounkara's departure leaves a lot of uncertaincy for the team, as evidenced by their rebounding woes in the preseason.

UST has ramped up their recruitment for the second straight year, and they are somewhat pinning their chances on their rookies, with the Nigerian Collins Akowe tasked to fill in for Tounkara, as well as on the championship experience of the three former Tiger Cubs, headed by the 6-foot-6 Koji Buenaflor.^[28][29]

UP Fighting Maroons

Akowe's collegiate debut became a showcase of dominance as the Growling Tigers handed the defending champions, the UP Fighting Maroons a 20-point, 87–67 beatdown. The Nigerian rookie came out with a double-double of 29 points and 17 rebounds, as UST sent notice to the other teams that the championship is no longer an exclusive affair between last year's two finalists.^[30]

The Tigers were able to break free in the first quarter after an early back-and-forth at the start of the game behind Kyle Paranada's outside shooting to end the period with a 12-point, 31–19 lead. UST held the Maroons scoreless in the opening minutes of the second period, increasing their lead to 18 at 37–19. UP's Harold Alarcon led a rally to pull his team to within ten, but Akowe and Paranada made back-to-back conversions to end the half with a 14-point, 57–43 advantage. Paranada scored 14 of his total output in the first half.^[31]

The Maroons fought back to trim the lead down to seven in the second half, but UST answered with their own run, as they recognized the mismatch that Akowe posed against his defenders in the paint. UP resorted to a Hack-a-Shaq strategy, which resulted to the big man taking 21 free throws and making 11 out his total 29 point-output. He was also able to convert 9-of-15 from the field, outclassing three different UP defenders thrown at him, with Miguel Palanca and Sean Alter both fouling out.^[32]

They began the fourth period by limiting the Maroons to only three points for eight minutes, as their lead went up to 25, at 85–60. UST has not won against the Maroons in the last nine games that they faced prior to this matchup. They last won in 2019, during their stepladder semifinals match, where they needed to beat UP twice to advance to the Finals. They met the Maroons thrice last year, where, after leading at the half, UP would take over and eventually win. In this latest game, the Tigers did not leave any chance for a comeback by the Maroons. Akowe was instrumental to quashing any effort from their opponent.

The Tigers missed the services of Padrigao, who had served a one-game suspension as a consequence of getting ejected from their Final Four game last season. Paranada took on the point guard duties and was able to tally 18 points on a 55-percent field goal shooting. Cabañero and Gelo Crisostomo added 9 and 8 points, respectively.

De La Salle Green Archers

Cabañero and Akowe put on stellar performances to help UST break their decade-long, 16-game losing streak against the De La Salle Green Archers with a come-from-behind, 93–84 win. The Tigers' last victory over their rivals was on October 11, 2015, during the second round of eliminations of Season 78.^[34]

Unlike their dominant win over UP, UST had to play catch-up against La Salle for almost the entire game. Cabañero set the tone early with offensive rebounds and putbacks to keep the Tigers within striking distance, but it was not enough as Akowe struggled in the first half due to the Archers' tight defense, which limited him to only eight points going into the break. Padrigao and Paranada, the team's two veteran guards guided their prized rookie by picking the opportunies to lob the ball at him down the paint. He was able to score 8 of his 12 second-half points in the fourth quarter when he found his bearings and was finally able to dominate at the post.

With the Archers shooting five three-pointers in the third quarter, UST found themselves trailing by 12 points, at 68–56. The Tigers hit their stride and went on a 14–2 run. Second-year forward Amiel Acido fired a three of his own in the middle of the rally that was capped by Cabañero's two free throws to tie the count at 70–all, with 1:30 left. The period ended with UST trailing by only two points, at 72–74. The burly team captain was also instrumental in shutting down La Salle's offense in the payoff period, where the Tigers outscored them, 21–10. The final quarter began with both teams trading baskets. It was when Paranada and Acido scored six straight points to break away from a 79–all tie for an 85–79 count. After the Archers' Doy Dungo shot his own three, the trio of Cabañero, Akowe and Padrigao made their own run to outscore the Archers, 8–2 to turn their three-point, 85–82 lead to ten, with a minute remaining on the clock.^[36]

UST has already defeated both of last year's finalists in back-to-back games and still holds an unblemished record of 2–0.

Cabañero led the Tigers in scoring with 27 points, as Akowe finished with another double-double of 20 points and 19 rebounds. Acido also made a solid contribution of 13 points, on a 5-of-11 shooting and 6 rebounds. Padrigao announced his return after missing the Tigers' opening day game, tallying 12 points, 9 assists, 3 steals and a +15 rating in a commanding display of leadership and playmaking skills.^[38]

NU Bulldogs

UST has tasted their first loss at the hands of the NU Bulldogs, 69–76, after an offensive adrenaline push from NU's Jake Figueroa put the Tigers away in the last minute of the game. The game began with both teams groping for form. The Tigers inched their way to a four-point 22–18 first quarter lead on free throws by Acido and rookie Koji Buenaflor, who had missed their game against La Salle due to the flu virus.^[39]

They were leading, 30–23, before the Bulldogs' Tebol Garcia sparked an 11–4 run that resulted to a three-point 34–37 deficit for UST. Padrigao and Llemit were able to steer the Tigers back to the lead, at 43–40 with timely three-point shots of their own, heading into the halftime break. The lead changes carried over for the entire second half, with NU going for another six-point rally to take the driver's seat at 52–50, before Acido's triple capped a UST counter to regain their advantage at 61–58 at the conclusion of the third period. The Bulldogs were once again leading, 69–68 at the 2:23 mark, via a four-point swing, when Cabañero made a basket in the last 1:41 of the game to put the Tigers to within one, at 69–70. It was when Figueroa took control, first, firing a three-pointer to increase their lead to four, and then converting on a floater against the Tigers' 6-foot-10 Akowe. Consecutive free throws from Paul Francisco and Steve Nash Enriquez sealed UST's loss at 69–76.^[40][41]

Akowe was kept in check throughout the game. Finishing with only five points, the Nigerian FSA shot for 1-of-7, with his lone field goal coming late in the game, at the 9:45 mark in the third quarter. As the rookie center struggled, UST was outscored down the paint, 28 to 46, and were outrebounded, 39 to 52. The Tigers also had a bad free throw-shooting afternoon, making only nine out of the 24 attempts that they were given at the stripe.^[42][43]

Cabañero and Acido led four Tigers in scoring double digits with 19 and 18 points, respectively. The team captain shot 8-of-19 from the field, while the sophomore combo guard who hit his career high in scoring made four three-point shots.^[44]

UE Red Warriors

UST completed their bounce-back win after defeating the UE Red Warriors, 111–99 in their home court at the QPav Arena. It was the league's highest scoring output since the 2023 season, when the UP Fighting Maroons scored 110 points against the Tigers in the first round of eliminations.^[45]

The game began with the Warriors' rookie Nurjadden Datumalim making the first point, as UST struggled in the opening minutes and trailed UE at 15–24, then ended the 10-minute period behind by two at 29–31. The Tigers got going in the second frame, outscoring their opponent by six points at 30–24, and ending the half at 59–55. UE's team captain John Abate almost exclusively scored all of the Warriors' points in the second quarter. They were trailing by one with a minute left when Padrigao hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Tigers did not relinquish their lead until the game clock expired.^[46]

The third period ended with UST enjoying a 16-point, 83–67 lead. Padrigao and Akowe earlier sparked a 17–6 run, increasing their lead from four to 15, at 76–61. The gap widened to its biggest at 20 in the middle of the final period, as the Tigers put up a 100–80 tally. The Warriors' Mo Tañedo scored the final basket as the game ended with the win for UST. It was a futile effort for the Warriors, as their 32-point fourth quarter performance behind Abate and Dray Caoile's 27 and 23 points fell short. The one-and-done Caoile scored 15 of his total points in the first quarter.

Cabañero led the Tigers with 22 points, on a 9-of-19 field goal and made a season-high of eight assists. The team had a total of 25 assists that translated into 38 points. Akowe recorded another double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds, and Padrigao had a field day shooting the lights out from downtown with five three-pointers to add to his total of 18 points. UST also had a productive bench contribution, outscoring UE, 36–18, as Llemit and Acido each had 11 points.^[47]

Ateneo Blue Eagles

The UAAP's men's basketball division held a game for the first time at the Blue Eagle Gym after two decades, where a gritty match-up between UST and Ateneo resulted to a 98–89 triple overtime win for the Growling Tigers. It also marked the first time for any men's game to go to three extra periods in the Final Four era of the league.^[48]

Ateneo got the game started with Shawn Tuano receiving a pass from Jared Bahay for a fast break layup for a 2–0 score. The Eagles employed a familiar UST run and gun ploy to dictate the game's tempo, as it opened up opportunities for transition baskets. Ateneo's Kymani Ladi and Dom Escobar's post games gave the Eagles a 12-point, 18–6 lead, as the Tigers navigated their way to within eight at 20–28 after a conversion by Padrigao towards the end of the first quarter.^[50]

The second quarter started with both teams struggling to find a basket, until Tuano was able to soar for an electrifying slam dunk. UST was able to counter with 13 unanswered points, with Cabañero leading the rally to pull his team within striking distance at 33–37. The Tigers limited their opponents to just nine points in the second period and eventually tied the score in the third period at 53–all, from being down, 41–48 following Crisostomo's triple. UST was leading by three at 63–60 with less than four minutes left in the fourth period when the Eagles scored six straight baskets to gain the upperhand at 66–63. Padrigao fired a go-ahead three-pointer to force an overtime as the fourth quarter clock expired.^[51]

Crisostomo made another three to start the extra period, but Ateneo's Bahay, who only had a single field goal in regulation made back-to-back threes to pull his team ahead at 72–69. Padrigao countered with his own triple in the next play to even the score once again. Crisostomo and the Eagles' Tuano traded baskets for yet another tie, until the ball found its way into Cabañero's hands. The super senior missed the game-winning shot, causing the game to go to another overtime period. The Tigers began the second extra period with a 6–1 run to lead at 80–75 and had maintained it until the last three minutes, after an exchange of a triple by Bahay and two free throws by Crisostomo, when Ateneo broke free with a 7–2 rally to wrest the lead by one, at 85–84. Akowe kept missing his free throws but made both when they mattered the most. With the clock down to 31 seconds, the rookie sank his charities to tie the game at 85–all and keep UST's winning chances alive. Cabañero missed another game-winning shot from behind the arc, sending the game to a third extension.

In the deciding third overtime period, the Tigers held Ateneo to only four points while scoring 13 of their own. Akowe, who had logged in a record total of 51 minutes, led a 9–0 run that broke UST free from the deadlock to lead at 94–85. The Blue Eagles had a depleted squad going into the game's third extension. Divine Adili had fouled out, while Ladi was experiencing cramps, and Bahay's shoulder injury had started to affect his game. To make matters worse, Cabañero's three-point play in the middle of their run drew Escobar's fifth foul.^[52]

Cabañero led the Tigers with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Two others also finished in double-doubles, as Akowe had his usual 20 points and 19 rebounds, while Crisostomo had his breakout game with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Padrigao was also able to compile 20 points in his return trip to his former team's homecourt, that was attended by 5,373 fans.^[53]

FEU Tamaraws

UST relied on a late fourth quarter surge to defeat the FEU Tamaraws, 92–80 and moved to a share of the lead in the standings with a 5–1 record. The Tigers, now on a three-game winning streak, are on their best start since the 2015 season, when they won eight of their first nine games.^[54]

With UST up at 9–2 after tip-off, the Tamaraws made a seven-point run led by rookie Kirby Mongcopa to even the score. It would set the trend of the game's numerous ties and lead changes. The Tigers' post presence, however, proved to be a challenge for the Tamaraws, as their bigs found their way to score, with Buenaflor finishing with a dunk and Llemit leading their fast break offense for a seven-point, 16–9 swing. The first period ended with UST gaining a four-point, 25–21 lead, even as Tamaraws Neil Owens and Janrey Pasaol scrambled for back-to-back baskets.

A shot block by FEU's Mo Konateh signaled the start of the second quarter, which sparked a four-point run by the Tamaraws. Padrigao was able to convert a contested three to trim FEU's lead, 46–47 at halftime. The second half began with FEU's 9–0 run, behind Pasaol's baskets. The Tigers were able to find their stride, resulting to a 5–12 exchange for 52–58 score. They were able to take back the lead at the end of the period on a one-point, 63–62 tally.^[55]

The Tamaraws once again had another run at the start of the final quarter with back-to-back triples by Jorick Bautista. It was when Cabañero and Paranada combined for seven points to give their team an 80–73 lead from a 15–5 rally. FEU called for timeout, after which, Konateh's tip-in and Pasaol's and-one pulled the Tamaraws to within two. Akowe, who was heavily guarded throughout the match, was able to break away with a layup against Konateh to give the Tigers an 84–80 advantage. Crisostomo next made back-to-back three-pointers to increase their lead to ten, at 90–80. The Tamaraws failed to convert on their last four attempts as they went scoreless in the last 3:49 minutes of the game.^[56]

Paranada, who played for only 18 minutes, led in scoring with 19 points on a 7-for-8 shooting. Cabañero and Crisostomo each had 14 points, while contributing eight and seven rebounds, respectively. Akowe had another double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, on top of four blocks.^[57]

Adamson Soaring Falcons

The Adamson Soaring Falcons proved again that they are the best defensive team in the UAAP, as they stopped UST's three-game run with a 69–59 victory to end their first-round campaign at the Araneta Coliseum.

Cabañero displayed fancy footwork skills down the lane as he scored a floater to give the Tigers an early 13–8 lead. The Falcons, however, opened fire with an 8–3 run to end the first period tied at 16–all. The second quarter began in a back-and-forth trade of baskets by the two teams. The score was tied at 22–all when the Falcons' Mathew Montebon made a step-back jumper to spark a 16–3 rally, sending UST to a 13-point, 25–38 deficit at the end of the half. The Tigers were limited to only nine points against their opponents' 22 in the second period.

Cabañero took on the scoring cudgels for the Tigers in the third quarter, making ten of UST's 18 points. His three-point shot put his team to within eight, at 36–44, as UST oustscored Adamson, 18–15 at the end of the period.^[58]

The Tigers tried to mount a comeback early in the fourth quarter after Paranada's running looper trimmed down Adamson's lead from 13 to five, at 50–55. The Falcons' Cedrick Manzano and AJ Fransman kept the Tigers at bay, scoring in succession to push their team's lead to 12 at 65–53. UST made another go with Crisostomo hitting a three-pointer to bring his team to within six, at 59–65, with under two minutes remaining. This would be the Tigers' last basket, as the Falcons' defense forced them to miss their succeeding shot attempts.^[59]

Akowe was held down to a low-scoring output with a 3-of-11 shooting, despite finishing with another double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds. Cabañero led the team with 23 points in a losing effort. The Tigers' bench was outscored, 16–42 as no other UST player outside of the two scored in double digits.^[60]

The Growling Tigers ended the first round of eliminations at second place with a 5–2 record, their best start since 2015, when they won six games against one loss. This season's two losses came at the hands of the league's two best defensive teams, where they were both heavily outrebounded, 39–52 by the NU Bulldogs, and 40–50 by the Adamson Soaring Falcons.^[61][62]

Adamson, in particular has been a thorn on the side of UST. Their post-pandemic head-to-head record stands at 3–6, and after the first round, the Falcons are ranked first in the least points scored by their opponents against them, at 62.4 per game, while also limiting their opponents to a league-best of 36 percent in field goal conversions.^[63]

Typical of their last game against the Falcons, Cabañero has developed the skills of a go-to player, who can score whenever their offense falls into a rough patch. He is able to take advantage of his wide frame to create space between himself and his defender, whether in taking mid-range jumpers or going for under-goal stabs. Even as the Tigers now have reliable point guards in the veteran tandem of Padrigao and Paranada, Cabañero has been responsible for steadying UST's offense, as assists only count when the recipient is able to convert a basket. His presence has helped Akowe to dominate the paint, as their opponents now make second guesses in double-teaming the big man who can readily throw kick out passes to an open teammate. The fifth-year team captain leads in point production with 19.4 points per game at the end of the first round and has emerged as a favorite to win this season's MVP. Cabañero ranks sixth in the MVP race with 76.6 statistical points.^[65]

Despite getting outrebounded in their matches against NU and Adamson, the Tigers lead the league in the first round with the highest team average of 49.1 rebounds per game, and their frontcourt this season is responsible for the high statistic. Akowe logs 15.3 boards per outing, while Crisostomo contributes a steady seven rebounds per game. Though ineligible for the MVP award, the rookie FSA is running second in the race with 84.3 statistical points with per-game averages that compliment his rebounding, with 16.3 points, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal. With these numbers, the Nigerian center is the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year and the Best Foreign Student-Athlete awards.^[66]

Crisostomo has displayed an improved skillset this season as well, while deflecting the spotlight to their team's noticeable upside in shooting. Their coaching staff has adopted a free-flowing system for their ball movement, allowing the players to form a deep trust among themselves. While his rebounding and blocking averages per game are as efficient as last season, where he tallies almost 7 boards and 1 rejection, his scoring has increased to 8.3 points per game, from 4.6. He goes for ball possession more this year with 1.7 steals per game, compared to last year's 0.4, and his three-point shooting has also improved, with a field goal percentage of 38.1, compared to 27.3 from the past season. One game that stood out for Crisostomo was from their triple overtime win over Ateneo, when he scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds that earned him Player of the Week honors.

Aside from leading the league in rebounds, UST also ranks first in scoring and two-point conversions, with 87.0 points per game and a 49.4 field goal percentage. Their second-chance point-average of 18.9 per game is also the league's best record, while their 38.3 points in the paint lands them second in the eight-team field. On the defensive end, the Tigers also pace the league in steals with 9.7 per game, and in forcing turnovers on the opponent with 16.4 a game.^[68]

Among the things that the team needs to improve on are in controlling their opponents' point production, where they rank sixth in giving up 80.6 points per game.^[69]

De La Salle Green Archers

The Growling Tigers' fourth-quarter rally fell short as the De La Salle Green Archers escaped with an 86–77 win to start their second-round campaign. They began the game with a three-pointer by Llemit, but Cabañero could not stop La Salle's JC Macalalag, who made two successive threes of his own to put the Archers on top at 13–9. With La Salle's big men tightly guarding Akowe, the Tigers could not collar their rebounds on the defensive end, allowing the Archers to get multiple second-chance points. La Salle's Luis Pablo was able to score a putback from a missed shot by EJ Gollena. The Archers extended their lead to seven, at 19–12, after Vhoris Marasigan converted on a jumper. Paranada made a triple off a timeout by UST, sparking a 5–0 run. It was when La Salle sent their rookie Guillian Quines to the floor and made an instant impact, firing a three of his own, as the Archers got their five points back to lead, 24–17 at the end of the first quarter.^[70]

The Tigers found themselves trailing by 22 points, at 30–52 after the Archers' Jacob Cortez took control in the second period, firing two uncontested baskets in succession to lead an 8–1 run. Padrigao and Ice Danting drained back-to-back three-pointers to end the half trailing at 36–52.^[71]

The Tigers got their rhythm going in the second half and had gone full steam in the final period, as they rallied to within six points at 70–76, with three-and-a-half minutes remaining on the clock. Crisostomo was able to convert a triple just before their shot clock expired. The two teams traded baskets for the next three minutes, until La Salle's Gollena and Earl Abadam eluded the Tigers' defense by scoring from different angles to increase their lead to nine, at 82–73 in the last 30 seconds.

Akowe tallied another double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Crisostomo, Llemit, and Cabañero added 15, 13, and 12 points, while Padrigao made a game-high of 10 assists in a losing effort by the Tigers. They have now lost twice in a row for the first time this season.^[73]

Adamson Soaring Falcons

UST lost again against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in overtime, at 96–97, when the Falcons' Matty Erolon drained a triple in the dying seconds of the extension period.^[74]

The Growling Tigers, now on a three-game losing skid, made crucial misses at the free throw line near the end of both regulation and the extension period. Veterans Cabañero and Padrigao both missed their charities as Adamson was making their run with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. Crisostomo made a triple to increase UST's lead to six, at 88–80, with thirty seconds left in the period. Akowe was whistled for a technical foul and Adamson's Ray Allen Torres converted. Torres, in return was called for a flagrant foul on Padrigao at the 0:22 mark, but Padrigao uncharacteristically missed both free throws. As the play resumed with the Tigers in possession, Cabañero was fouled by Montebon, but he also missed both of his foul shots. The rebound went to Torres, who passed to Montebon for a triple, putting the Falcons to within four, at 84–88. Padrigao was fouled again in the next play, this time making the first, but missing the second, with the ball getting into the hands of Adamson's Earl Medina. Padrigao fouled Torres, who made both free throws, bringing the Falcons to within three, at 86–89, with nine seconds left in regulation. Paranada made a bad pass, which was intercepted by Adamson's Manzano. Medina gave an assist to Montebon who shot another triple to tie the score as the buzzer sounded.

The Falcons opened the extension period with a three-pointer by Torres. Akowe was able to score on a putback, from Padrigao's miss. Cabañero was fouled midway in the period, making both free throws for the lead, at 93–92. A foul by Llemit on Erolon sent the lead back to Adamson. With under a minute remaining, a rebounding scuffle on Llemit's missed jump shot resulted to OJ Ojarikre fouling Akowe. The Tigers' big man made both of his charities to retake the lead at 95–94. A missed jumper by Montebon was rebounded by Akowe, who was fouled and sent to the line again. This time, the Nigerian rookie missed his second free throw, but was still rebounded by Llemit, who passed to a waiting Crisostomo for a missed three. With the clock winding down to 16 seconds, Medina got the board and passed to a driving Torres. He faked a layup and passed to a guarded Montebon, who was waiting at the three-point line. He made an extra pass to an open Erolon who scored a three for a one-point lead. He was fouled by Cabañero in the process, making it a four-point play, with eight seconds remaining. Erolon deliberately missed his charity, which was rebounded by Akowe, who immediately passed to Padrigao. With two seconds remaining, Padrigao heaved a shot near midcourt and missed, with the time expiring, giving the Falcons the win.^[75]

UP Fighting Maroons

The Growling Tigers lost against the UP Fighting Maroons, 88–89 in their second-round match. UP's Alarcon led his team on both ends, as he scored the Maroons' final baskets, all contested by UST's defenders, and was instrumental in denying the Tigers' back-to-back attempts at making a shot in the dying seconds of the game. Following a missed bank shot by Acido, a scuffle for the rebound went Akowe's way with 3.6 seconds remaining. An inbound by Llemit to the Nigerian rookie was tapped away by Alarcon as the time expired, giving UP a one-point win.

The Tigers were subjected to a hacking spree, as the Maroons were called for a game-high of 38 team fouls in the game, but the Tigers could not capitalize as they shot a miserable 28-of-52 from the free throw line. UST at one point led by as many as 15 points, until Padrigao went down with a sprained ankle in the third quarter and had to sit out the rest of the game.

Akowe had another double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds. Cabañero and Acido added 18 and 10 points, respectively. UST has fallen to their fourth straight loss and is yet to win a game in the second round.^[76]

UE Red Warriors

UST ended their losing streak with a 109–97 win over the winless UE Red Warriors. They set the pace early to erect a 33–16 lead at the end of the first period. Having big leads throughout the game, the Tigers were up by as many as 20 points in the final quarter when the Warriors attempted a late-game comeback behind rookie Dylan Despi's exploits to threaten within nine, at 83–92. Llemit, who had been struggling offensively, was able to convert on back-to-back triples that sparked an 8–0 run by UST to bring the lead back to 17, at 100–83.

Cabañero topscored for the Tigers with 19 points. Four others scored in double figures, with Akowe, Crisostomo, Padrigao, and Acido contributing 16, 14, 11, and 10 points, respectively.^[77]

Ateneo Blue Eagles

The Growling Tigers boosted their Final Four hopes after a crucial 67–59 win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, as they climbed to a solo third-place spot in the standings with 7 wins against 5 losses. They overtook La Salle who had fallen to 6–5 after their recent loss to FEU.

The Tigers had kept the Blue Eagles at bay with a slim 46–44 lead late in the third quarter before they were able to break away with a 7-point, 53–46 lead to end the period. Padrigao poured in all of his six points in the opener of the final period with back-to-back three-pointers to increase their lead to ten. Ateneo, however, threatened within five, at 59–64 with 23 ticks left on the clock. Crisostomo sealed the win after making both of his free throws. The Tigers regained their shooting form at the foul line, making 22-of-28 for a 78.5 percent efficiency.

Akowe led UST with another double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds. Cabañero, Crisostomo, and Acido added 14, 10, and 9 points, respectively.^[78]

NU Bulldogs

UST became the third team to qualify to the Final Four after their 80–71 win over the league-leading NU Bulldogs. Trailing by small deficits from the first period, the Growling Tigers went on a 13–1 run in the third quarter to take the driver's seat at 58–53, from being down at 45–52. They went on to take control in the final period, to increase their lead to 11, halted briefly by a layup from NU's Omar John, until a back-to-back three by Crisostomo and Llemit kept their opponents at bay.

Crisostomo, who had come off the bench, topscored for the team with 13 points. Akowe had another double-double of 11 markers and 11 boards. Acido and Llemit also scored in double figures with 11 points apiece.

The Tigers, with one game remaining in the eliimination rounds, improved to an 8–5 record, with a full game ahead of the fourth-running De La Salle Green Archers.^[79]

FEU Tamaraws

UST ended the elimination rounds with a 79–81 loss against the FEU Tamaraws. FEU, determined to win for a chance at a playoff for the last remaining Final Four slot got the game going by limiting the Tigers to a low first-quarter field goal. They went on to pour 32 points in the next period, as UST found themselves trailing by 23 points just before the halftime buzzer sounded.^[80]

This match was in fact, a non-bearing game for the Tigers as they are already assured of the number three seeding due to a superior quotient over La Salle, even if the Archers win their final elimination game and tie UST's 8–6 record. But still, they made a run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to chop down the Tamaraws' big lead. Crisostomo's two steals and basket conversions brought the Tigers to within three, at 77–80 with under a minute to go. In the final play, a pass to Llemit on a fastbreak would have tied the score, but the third-year wing opted to go for a layup. This resulted to a one-point deficit for UST, at 79–80 with two seconds remaining. Llemit fouled FEU's Jorick Bautista on the inbound, sending him to the line for his penalty free throws. Bautista made the first and intentionally missed the second, as the Tigers scrambled for the rebound and hastily threw a shot at midcourt with the game clock expiring.^[82]

Crisostomo topscored for the Tigers with a career-high of 28 points. Cabañero added 17, as no other player from their team scored in double digits. This game was originally scheduled for November 9, but was postponed as a precaution to the oncoming Typhoon Uwan.^[25]

UP Fighting Maroons