University of Santo Tomas (UST) returned to its winning ways, overcoming also-ran University of the East (UE), 84-62, to solidify its hold on second place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In the first game, Ateneo de Manila University eliminated Far Eastern University, 85-70, to catch the bus headed for the Final Four.

With their third consecutive victory, the Blue Eagles improved their win-loss record to 7-5 while extinguishing the Final Four hopes of De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, and the Lady Tamaraws.

Rebounding from a 70-76 loss to archrival National University last Wednesday, the Growling Tigresses quickly bounced back to improve their record to 10-2.

They now enjoy a 1.5 game cushion over Adamson University for the second seed.

“We can’t be complacent,” UST assistant coach Ged Austria said.

“Of course, we should still have mental toughness. Knowing that you’re one of the top teams, you have the tendency to relax. We should still take it one day at a time and stick to the process.”

With the game tied at 19-all in the second period, Pastrana scored 11 points in UST’s 16-5 surge to close the first half, highlighted by a buzzer-beating heave to gain a 35-24 advantage heading to the third frame.

The Growling Tigresses then turned a 50-40 third quarter lead to a commanding 67-47 cushion thanks to rookie Karylle Sierba, who tallied 13 points in UST’s 17-7 start to the payoff period.

The win allowed UST to assert its dominance over a struggling UE side, whom they took down with a 86-44 decision in its season opener last 8 September.

“We did not play the way we wanted to play in the first three quarters. It’s clear na marami pa dapat gawin and corrections na need gawin. For the near future, we’re taking it one game at a time,” Austria added.

Tacky Tacatac dropped 20 of her 25 points in the second half to go along with four steals, three assists and two rebounds, while Pastrana tallied 18 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Sierba contributed 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with three rebounds and three steals on plus-29 in 21 minutes and six seconds of play, while Danganan flirted with a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds to go along with two steals, one block and one assist.