The UST Growling Tigers couldn’t regain their winning form in 3×3 basketball, finishing fourth in UAAP Season 86 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay on Sunday, May 5.
Following their championship in Season 84, UST placed fourth for two consecutive seasons in Seasons 85 and 86.
In the battle for third place, the Tigers were unable to replicate their elimination-round victory over the NU Bulldogs, losing 21-14.
The Bulldogs buried UST down a seven-point hole early after two straight inside hits by Steve Nash Enriquez, 12-5.
The Tigers trimmed NU’s lead to three behind five points by Angelo Crisostomo with less than two minutes left, 16-13.
However, NU closed the match on a 5-1 run capped by a layup, two-pointe, and floater from Enriquez, 21-14.
In the knockout semifinals, the UE Red Warriors made quick work of UST for a championship ticket, 21-7.
After a layup by Crisostomo to trim the UE lead to two, 5-3, the Red Warriors built an 8-3 run to take a seven-point lead, 13-6.
Four straight two-pointers, two each from Ethan Galang and Vlair Lingolingo, sealed their victory over the Tigers, 21-7.
Earlier in the day, UST booked a Final Four slot with an 18-16 win over the NU Bulldogs to close the elimination round with a 4-3 card, tying NU and Adamson for identical records.
The Tigers clinched the third seed after having the highest points on average with 18.5 markers, NU settled for the fourth seed with 18.0 points, while Adamson was eliminated from further contention after only averaging 16.5 points.
DLSU triumphed over UE in the championship game.
