CEBUANO rising star Paul Desiderio backed up his big words with a big-time shot as he canned a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 74-73, in the 80th UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Moments after screaming “Atin ‘to. Papasok ‘to!” in the huddle of head coach Bo Perasol, Desiderio received a pass from former University of the Visayas guard Jun Manzo, rose up and swished a triple to put the Maroons ahead, 74-73.
UST’s Jeepy Faundo missed a desperation trey as time expired to give UP the win and send the Maroon-clad gallery into frenzy.
Afterwards, the Liloan-native and former Cesafi juniors MVP said that he had no hesitation about taking the crucial shot.
“Ang dami ko itinira, mahihiya pa ba ako eh last shot na?” said Desiderio in the post-game interview. Incidentally, Desiderio was just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc before that game-winning triple.
Desiderio finished with a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-20 shooting.
Another former UV standout, Steve Akomo, debuted with 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Growling Tigers.