Desiderio blazes with 28 points as UE lost to UP, 84-71
Passing through the traffic, UP Fighting Maroon’s skipper Paul Desiderio finishes with a career-high score of 28 points, blazing UP’s win over UE, 84-71.
Proving himself again this time, University of the Philippines’ (UP) skipper Paul Desiderio flared up UP’s second victory, with his efficient performance against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, as the Maroon squad knocked off the Red Warriors and gave them a three-game skid, 84-71, in the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Round 1.
Given his mediocre performances in UP’s last two games, Fighting Maroon’s team captain Desiderio showed in this game against UE that he’s not just a one-day hero of the team with his trifecta rains but a consistent playmaker that leads the State U squad’s offense, with dashing 28 points and 10 boards.
“Tinatry ko pa rin iadjust yung sarili ko kasi first two games, masyado akong gigil. So tinatry ko talagang isettle yung sarili ko na relax lang kasi yun nga, mga shot nung first two games ko, sobrang pangit. So buti nalang ngayon nakontol ko yung sarili ko,” Desiderio lightheartedly said.
However, UP Fighting Maroon’s Coach Bo Perasol had other concerns in this game from their last outing with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, with a heartbreaking loss of 71-92.
“Going into this game, I was kind of worried about the state of mind that we had after the very bad loss against Ateneo and what I’m trying to emphasize during practice was we have to let go of those whatever boggling our minds. And we’re just happy we’re able to get through this game against the tough opening by UE, and we’re able to bounce back despite the fact that we were outplayed past in the first minutes of the game,” Perasol said with relief.
The Red Warriors started strong with a 16-point lead in the first frame, ending it with nine points as upper hand, 18-27. But it was still early for the Fighting Maroons as trimmed down the gap to four by the first half, 38-42.
By halftime, Coach Bo was already worried of the game’s outcome. “We were behind during the first half of the game, and what I was really worried was we were really poor in the past two games during the third quarters. And I have to give credit to my guys because they were able to withstand despite the fact that we were behind by four points during the half,” Perasol added.
Upon the third frame, it was when Desiderio had his switch on and threw out 16 points for his team, ending the quarter with UP leading, 64-49. Unstoppable now, the Maroon squad finished the Red Warriors in the last frame with 84-71.
With this win, Coach Bo acknowledges Desiderio’s performance for their upcoming games. “Malaking bagay talaga nawawala sa amin when he’s (Desiderio) not getting his regular game, and what a time to get his game back. This is an important thing for us because we are up ahead against very tough teams in the next few weeks,“ Perasol said.
While Desiderio, on the other hand, acknowledges the wisdom from his coach. “Sabi naman ni Coach Bo na hintayin ko lang na dumating sakin (offensive play), so ayun, buti dumating kundi talo kami,” Desiderio said jokingly.
Desiderio narrates how his ultimate sidekick in the court, Jun Manzo, helped him in gaining those chances of shooting. “Open lang talaga tapos medyo mainit na, tapos sabi ni Jun ise-set up niya ako parati so yun…Malaking bagay yun kasi kahit tinginan lang, nakukuha na namin yung isa’t isa e. Di na kailangan sabihan na ‘Jun’, parang ‘hanapin mo’ko’. Pag tingin na niya, alam ko na na gagawin namin.”
Part of this second victory of the Fighting Maroons was brought heavily by Malinese Ibrahim Outtara, as he controlled the boards with 18 successful rebounds and 14 points, while Jun Manzo chipped in 10 points and 2 rebounds, and the Gomez de Liano siblings adding 16 points and 10 rebounds respectively.
Meanwhile, UE Red Warrior’s coach Derrick Pumaren admitted, “Desiderio ran over us.” Red Warrior’s Clark Derige earned 21 points and 9 rebounds for the team, while UE’s rookie Mark Maloles added 16 points to his team’s score.
As for their upcoming game against the La Salle Green Archers on September 23, 4 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena, the State U coach just joked off when asked of his opinion with Ben coming back from 2017 FIBA Afrobasket.
“Kami ba mag we-welcome kay Ben? Well, Ibrahim here is a national team player of Mali so we can go Cameroon vs. Mali,” the Fighting Maroon’s coach joked. “I think it’s really tough but we’ll take our chances against team like La Salle,” he added confidently.
With Outtara being pitted against UAAP Season 79 Men’s Basketball MVP Ben Mbala, high expectations from him were replied with his sheer humility and deep faith with his team. “It would be a good match, a good experience for me because as you can see he’s a strong player. But for me, it’s not just about me, what I can do, it’s about what we can do as a team.”
On the other hand, Fighting Maroon’s team captain Desiderio just wanted to savor their victory against the Red Warriors as they go preparing for the Green Archers. “Enjoyin lang namin ‘tong panalong ‘to, bukas pe-prepare na kami para sa La Salle.”
UP 84 – Desiderio 28, Outtara 14, Manzo 10, Gomez de Liano Ja 9, Gomez de Liano Ju 7, Prado 7, Lim 4, Lao 3, Webb 2, Dario 0
UE 71 – Derige 21, Maloles 16, Pasaol 12, Olayon 11, Manalang 8, Cullar 3, Varilla 0, Bartolome 0, Acuno 0, Abanto 0, Armenion 0, Conner 0, Cruz 0, Gagate 0
QUARTER SCORES: 18-27, 38-42, 64-49, 84-71
