Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers snapped a five game losing skid after upsetting the National University (NU) Bulldogs in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Marvin Lee paced UST with 22 markers, while Louie Vigil and Jon Sheriff chipped in 20 and 19, respectively.
Strong play in the opening three quarters provided the Tigers a 53-47 cushion.
Back-to-back threes to open the payoff period gave the Tigers a 60-47 lead, but were soon pegged back by a 7-0 run from the Bulldogs.
Just when NU was looking to get back into the ballgame, Lee and Sheriff took over to wrestle back the momentum on the side of the Tigers.
With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs chipped the lead down to 69-62 to put pressure on UST.
But it proved to be too late for NU as the Growling Tigers held on to notch their third win in Season 79.
Matt Salem led the Bulldogs with 20 points.
With the victory, UST improved its record to 3-7, while NU slid down to a 4-5 win-loss slate.
The NU Bulldogs will face the La Salle Green Archers on October 19, while the UST Tigers will also tackle the Lasallians on October 23.
