UST Growling Tigers eye third straight win, aim for tie with Ateneo

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers are aiming for their third consecutive win in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.

A victory against National University (NU) on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion would place UST in a tie for the lead with Ateneo, who is currently 3-0.

Both UST and NU are undefeated with 2-0 records.

UST has been a surprise performer this season, having defeated the reigning champions University of the Philippines and last year's finalists De La Salle University.

Their win over UP ended a nine-game losing skid, and their victory against La Salle snapped a 16-game head-to-head defeat.

The Growling Tigers are led by rookie Collins Akowe, a Nigerian center averaging 24.5 points and 18 rebounds, and are expected to leverage their home-court advantage.

This marks UST's best start since 2015, the last time they reached the finals.