MANILA -- University of Santo Tomas got a much-needed victory in the UAAP Season 86 women's basketball tournament on Wednesday, overwhelming the Ateneo Blue Eagles 90-67 at the Adamson Gym in San Marcelino, Manila.

The Growling Tigresses were coming off back-to-back losses against the UP Fighting Maroons (73-69) and defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs (76-64).

But they pulled away from Ateneo in the second half en route to a 4-2 win-loss record, tying the Blue Eagles in the standings.

"Going into the game sabi ko lang sa mga bata, we have to bounce back afer the two hard losses that we had. And ang magandang nangyari is 'yung bench players came out today," Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong said.

Kent Pastrana was the leading scorer for the Growling Tigresses with 17 points, leading the bench unit that contributed 64 points, in contrast to Ateneo's 14.

But it was sophomore Agatha Bron who made the most significant impact for UST, finishing with 15 points on a 5-of-6 shooting clip while also helping defend Ateneo big man and former high school teammate Kacey Dela Rosa.

During the pivotal third quarter, Bron went a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, contributing to a back-breaking 23-15 run that turned a 38-33 lead into a commanding 61-48 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Freshman Apple Maglupay provided support with 12 rebounds and nine points.

Dela Rosa went 9-of-17 from the field for a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double while Sarah Makanjuola contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Blue Eagles will seek to bounce back as they face the league-leading University of the Philippines on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Looking ahead, the Growling Tigresses aim to continue their winning streak when they face Far Eastern University on Saturday at 9 a.m. at the same venue.

"Every team is very competitive, so every team we have to prepare for. FEU is a strong team that has a foreign student-athlete, si (Josee) Kaputu, who is very strong. MVP numbers, double-double's every game; so we have to prepare for that and, hopefully, we can close the first round with a 5-2 win-loss record," Ong added.

The Scores:

UST 90 - Pastrana 17, Tacatact 15, Bron 15, Santos 9, Maglupay 9, Villasin 8, Dionisio 4, Ferrer 4, Ambos 4, Soriano 3, Danganan 2, Ly 0, Amatong 0, Serrano 0.

Ateneo 67 - Dela Rosa 24, Makanjuola 11, Calago 9, Joson 7, Solis 5, Cancio 3, Angala 3, Villacruz 2, Mataga 2, Chan 1, Nieves 0, Fetalvero 0, Eufemiano 0, Gastador 0.

Quarterscores: 24-18, 38-33, 61-40, 90-67.