The UST Growling Tigers were thwarted by the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 53-61, picking up their third straight loss, and their ninth loss overall in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Veteran big man Christian Manaytay chipped in 13 markers to lead all Tigers in the offensive load, while Ivan Lazarte, Nic Cabañero, and Ivanne Calum all recorded nine points each.

This also marked a tournament-low in scoring for Cabañero, with the scalding-hot Cebuano guard only scoring nine this game, a far cry from his league-leading 18-point average.

The starting five to open the game for the Tigers did not feature Cabañero who started in their first nine games this season. Manaytay drilled in two early triples to start the opening period and Cabañero chimed in for five as the Tigers ended the first quarter leading by one, 20-19.

The Tigers pushed the deficit to four points to begin the second quarter, 30-26, before the Falcons responded on a 9-2 counterattack initiated by Manu Anabo’s four-point play and back-to-back triples from Joshua Yerro to lead Adamson at halftime, 32-35.

Turnovers and shot selection were a main concern for UST to begin the second half, all thanks to a hardened Falcons defense as the Tigers only managed to score eight points in the third quarter. Adamson extended their deficit to eight entering the final salvo, 40-48.

The Tigers mounted a comeback attempt to begin the final period through a 10-2 run that pulled them closer to a two-point Falcons lead, 50-52. However, Adamson responded with a 9-0 run commenced by a Matthew Montebon triple, and two clutch treys by DIdat Hanapi to seal the win, 61-53.

Adamson’s Yerro was the lone double-digit scorer for the Falcons, recording a season-high 17 markers on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Joem Sabandal and Montebon equalled for a combined 17 points, dropping nine and eight respectively.

The win improved their slate to 5-5, inching a Final Four advantage for the San Marcelino-based squad.

The Tigers will look to break their losing spell as they face the Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Nov. 8.