Seniors Desiderio, Vito save day for UP

ANTIPOLO—When University of the Philippines needed someone to prevent National University from making a late-game run, two of its seniors heeded the call.

Gelo Vito and Paul Desiderio were instrumental in the Fighting Maroons’ 82-71 win over the Bulldogs in the second round of the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament and the fifth-year duo made the most damage in the payoff period.

UP was firmly ahead for much of the game, leading, 60-49, heading into the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs suddenly showed their bark.

NU rookie Dave Ildefonso made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut UP’s lead to seven, 76-69, with less than two minutes remaining but that just prompted Vito and Desiderio to save the day for the Fighting Maroons.

“I was just thinking that I want a good ending because as long as there’s a chance for the Final Four we’ll put everything to it,” said Desiderio in Filipino. “That’s our motivation.”

Vito was the first to hit with 1:35 left then, Desiderio followed it up a few seconds later, right after a Troy Rike bucket, to give UP a stable 80-71 lead with 37.1 seconds left in the game.

Desiderio finished with 12 points, eight coming in the fourth quarter, while Vito scored seven of his 10 in the final frame as they helped UP get to the fourth seed with a 6-6 card.

“For me it’s about leadership, we’ve been doing this for five years and we have the responsibility of leading the team,” said Vito.

Desiderio and Vito were there when UP was a perennial bottom placer until it gradually became a legitimate Final Four contender in Season 80 when it fell just a win short of making the semifinals with a 6-8 record trailing fourth-placer Far Eastern University.

Vito said the Maroons will do whatever it takes to lead the Fighting Maroons to their first Final Four appearance since 1997.

“Before we end our UAAP careers we want to reach the Final Four and we will give our best in this final two games of the season, we want to make it count,” said Vito.