UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas beat AMA University, 98-84, on Tuesday to secure the second spot in the 2017 Republica Cup college division basketball tournament at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
Steve Akomo had 18 points, while Zach Huang chipped in 14 points for the Growling Tigers, who finished the elimination round with a 4-1 win-loss card.
Marvin Lee added 11 points, while Oliver De Guzman finished with 10 markers.
UST will take on third-seed Diliman College in the knockout semifinals where top-ranked University of the Philippines will play against Arellano.
The Growling Tigers dominated right from the start and took a 33-5 lead with Akomo scoring 11 in the first period and De Guzman contributing nine.
Coleng Garcia had 23 points, while Jayson Jordan contributed 16 points for AMA, which attempted to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter but fell short in the end.
AMA finished the tournament with a 1-4 win-loss record.