The UST Growling Tigers dropped their 12th game in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament against the UP Fighting Maroons, 86-61 on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Nic Cabañero and Christian Manaytay led UST in scoring, finishing with 14 points each and combining for 15 boards. UST fell to 1-12 in their win-loss record playing their last game on Saturday, while UP stepped closer to securing a twice-to-beat advantage as they top in the current team standings.

The Growling Tigers unleashed a 9-2 scoring start before UP retaliated with a 22-7 run giving them a six-point lead after the first quarter, 18-24.

Fighting Maroons Chicco Briones scored eight of his 14 total points in the second quarter while draining two three-pointers in the period which gave UP the momentum at the half, 32-44.

The lead ballooned to 22 points ending the third quarter after a 14-3 UP run, 69-47.

SJ Moore, one of the Growling Tigers' prized rookies, fell with an apparent right leg injury as the lead swelled in favor of UP in the final period.

Unable to recover, UST ended the game with a 25-point deficit, 86-61 with UP having a biggest lead of 29 and out-scoring the Tigers in the perimeter, 43-13.

Briones finished with 14 points and four rebounds while Cyril Gonzales scored 10 points while shooting 5/9 from the field.

The UST Growling Tigers will play their final game of the season against the FEU Tamaraws on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.