MANILA, Philippines -- University of Santo Tomas banked on a solid second half to hand National University its sixth straight loss, 88-77, in the 71st University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers turned to 17-year-old rookie guard Clark Bautista, who shot all of his 18 points from beyond the arc on a 6-of-9 shooting clip.

Jervy Cruz, the reigning Most Valuable Player, posted a double-double performance of 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Tigers' third victory in six games.

"Our team is starting to pick up," said UST coach Pido Jarencio. "We're almost complete. Japs (Cuan) will be back by the second round."

Cuan, the Tigers' starting point guard, is still recovering from a meniscus tear on his left knee.

But Bautista, a former junior standout from Benedictine International School, proved to be a reliable backup, even spearheading the Tigers' breakaway from a slim 49-48 lead to their first double-digit advantage, 65-55, in the third quarter.

Bautista, who also dished out three assists, registered the most points and most triples by a rookie in a game this season.

The Bulldogs remained winless in six outings.

The scores:

UST 88--Bautista 18, Cruz 14, Mirza 13, Allera 12, Canlas 8, Taylor 6, Ababou 5, Fortuna 4, Maliksi 3, Afuang 2, Fenequito 0, Wong 0, Vargas 0, Camus 0.

NU 77--Asoro 17, Aguilar 11, Catamora 11, Ponferrada 10, Galapon 7, Garcia 5, Jahnke 5, Luy 4, Fabula 3, Tungcul 2, Dela Cruz 2, Batac 0

Quarters: 20-19, 44-43, 69-57, 88-77