JUSTIN Arana led University of Santo Tomas in beating Diliman College, 78-61, on Thursday to stay unbeaten in the 2017 Republica Cup collegiate division at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
Arana finished with 16 points, including nine in the third quarter where the Growling Tigers pulled ahead on their way to a 2-0 win-loss record, joining University of the Philippines on top of the team standings.
Zachary Huang added 13 points for UST, which used a 16-1 third quarter run to put the Tigers in front, 42-31.
Santo Tomas only scored nine points in the second quarter to trail at the half, 25-28, before surging in the third quarter where they outscored Diliman, 31-15.
UST is in the middle of its gear-up for Season 80 of the UAAP where it aims to bounce back after winning just three games last year.
Kristopher Torrado finished with 17 points for the Blue Dragons, who slipped to 1-2 in the team standings.