Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
University of the Philippines captain Paul Desiderio has not had an efficient shooting game in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament until Sunday when he finally found the mark against University of the East.
Heading into the game, Desiderio has missed 28 out of his 38 attempts from the field for a total of 26 points combined in his first two outings this season.
But it took just one game to make up for his missed shots after he put up a career-high 28 points in an 84-71 win over the Red Warriors.
READ: Desiderio sets career-high, UP pulls away in 2nd half to beat UE
“First two games I was too excited, and I was trying to calm myself down because I was forcing shots,” said Desiderio in Filipino.
“My start was just ugly, it’s a good thing that I was able to control myself today.”
Desiderio’s paltry shooting almost continued into a third game when he went 1-of-4 in the first two quarters, but the second half was an entirely different story.
READ: Pumaren on UE loss to UP: ‘Desiderio killed us’
The senior guard singlehandedly outscored UE, 16-7, in the penultimate quarter to finish the game with a 9-of-16 shooting clip.
“Coach (Bo Perasol) told me that I just have to wait for the offense to get to me, fortunately I was able to get into the rhythm or else we would’ve lost the game,” said Desiderio, helping UP improve to 2-1.