MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) University of Santo Tomas (UST) avoided a winless campaign in UAAP Season 80 by escaping University of the East in a wild finish, 88-85, on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was the lone victory of the men's basketball tournament for the Growling Tigers, which lost 17 consecutive contests dating back to Season 79 before finally breaking through against the Red Warriors in their final game of Season 80.

Steve Akomo did the heavy lifting for UST, tallying 18 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, and six blocked shots in almost 35 minutes of playing time. Regie Basibas, in his final game, scored a game-high 21 points on top of nine rebounds.

"Siyempre masaya, hindi kami na-zero, 'di ba," embattled UST coach Boy Sablan said after they finished Season 80 with a 1-13 win-loss record – still the worst in the history of their program.

"Para sa akin, masarap 'yung feeling na nanalo," said UST guard Marvin Lee, who had 11 points in the win. "Sabi nga, parang nag-champion kami."

The Tigers led nearly all the way, even going up by 14 points, 23-9, in the first quarter before the Red Warriors worked their way back into the contest. UST still led by 11 points, 53-42, early in the third quarter, but a 7-0 run anchored by Alvin Pasaol allowed UE to get back within striking distance.

A floater by UE's Rey Acuno gave them a 60-59 lead, and it was a back-and-forth game from there on. The Tigers took the lead for good thanks to an 8-3 run that turned a 67-all deadlock into a 75-70 lead with 3:51 to go, but the Red Warriors still continued to threaten.

An and-1 by Mark Maloles with 1:34 left made it a one-point game, 79-80, before Lee and Basibas made it a five-point game anew, 84-79, with under a minute to go. But a steal and a transition bucket by Philip Manalang, plus two charities from Maloles, again made it a one-point game with still 19.7 ticks left, 84-83.

Lee knocked down two insurance charities, only for Akomo to make a blunder as he goal-tended JC Cullar's lay-up attempt. Fortunately for UST, Basibas also converted two clutch free throws, and Pasaol lost the ball as time expired, sending the lean UST crowd at the Big Dome into a frenzy.

Eric Caunan contributed 14 points, and Christian Garcia added 10 markers for the Tigers.

Pasaol led UE with 18 points, five rebounds, and five steals, but was unable to take charge for the Red Warriors the way he often did in Season 80. Jason Varilla had 16 points, while Maloles finished with 15 markers.

The Red Warriors finished with a 3-11 slate, the same record that they had last season.

The Scores:

UST 88 - Basibas 21, Akomo 18, Caunan 14, Lee 11, Garcia 10, De Guzman 6, Sta. Ana 4, Escalambre 2, Macasaet 2, Romero 0, Huang 0, Faundo 0.

UE 85 - Pasaol 18, Varilla 16, Maloles 15, Conner 10, Acuño 8, Cullar 7, Manalang 7, Bartolome 2, Olayon 2, Derige 0.

Quarters: 23-15, 43-39, 63-61, 88-85.