UP stays in Final 4 hunt

MANILA, Philippines – University of the Philippines (UP) is still in contention for a Final Four spot after the Fighting Maroons held on for a 74-69 victory over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on Sunday at the Arena in San Juan.

Several heroes stepped up for the Fighting Maroons, but it was Paul Desiderio who shone brightest with an all-around performance (16 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal) and hit a huge shot with less than a minute left to lift UP to its fifth victory of the UAAP Season 79 men's basketball tournament.

🚨 Triple-double Alert 🚨

Paul Desiderio: 7 pts 11 rebs 7 assists pic.twitter.com/cTeQ7OtZrc

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) November 6, 2016

UP improved to 5-8 to remain in the hunt for the semifinals, while at the same time ousting the Growling Tigers (3-9) from the Final Four race. However, the Fighting Maroons will drop out of the running as well if Adamson University (6-5) beats UST on Wednesday.

• READ: Adamson closes in on playoff return after closing out FEU

"'Di naman namin iniisip 'yan," UP head coach Bo Perasol said of their Final Four chances. "Ang iniisip lang namin, actually, mas malakas 'yung dating na 19 games na hindi namin natalo 'yung UST."

"Binanggit ko 'yun sa kanila. Andoon pa rin 'yung nasa isipan nila na ano ba 'yung chance namin sa Final Four, but we agreed na in the first place, 'di naman namin inaasam 'yun," he added.

"So ang iniisip lang namin is how we can be better in terms of our performance this season, and I think we achieved something we can be proud of."

It was UP's first win over the Growling Tigers since Season 69, when they finished the tournament with a 4-8 win-loss slate (only seven teams competed the UAAP that year as La Salle was suspended). This also marks their most wins in a season since Season 68, when UP finished with a 6-8 record.

Big lift from Kyles Lao

UP seized a nine-point lead, 25-16, early in the second quarter thanks to a flurry of triples from Javi Gomez de Liano and Diego Dario, but the Growling Tigers steadily chipped away at the deficit thanks to veteran swingman Louie Vigil.

A baseline jumper from Vigil with 6:25 to go in the third quarter tied the game at 36, but the entry of former Rookie of the Year Kyles Lao re-energized the Fighting Maroons.

After struggling for most of the season as he worked his way back from an ACL injury, Lao came alive in the third quarter, knifing through the UST defense for lay-ups. He scored six points in an 11-0 run, capped by an and-1 from Dario, that put UP ahead 47-36.

"They (the players) were inspired by what Kyles did," Perasol said. "He was able to get some shots, some crucial shots."

The Growling Tigers answered with an 8-0 burst of their own, anchored on Vigil and Regie Basibas, but Gelo Vito banked in a triple with 19.1 seconds left to ensure that UP entered the final quarter with a 53-47 advantage.

Moralde, Lim shine in fourth

The Fighting Maroons' advantage ballooned to 15 points, 63-48, in the final quarter as it was Jarrell Lim and Dave Moralde's turn to shine. Lim drained a three-pointer, then Moralde came through with a circus lay-up that saw him switch hands in mid-air for a shot that drew oohs and aahs from the UP crowd.

Moralde again drew cheers when he crossed over Renzo Subido, completely losing the UST guard for a midrange jumper that put UP on to 63-48.

Moralde with a nasty move on Subido! pic.twitter.com/cL7IBgcJfz

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) November 6, 2016

It appeared that all was lost for the Growling Tigers after Vigil fouled out with 6:34 left to play. However, they slowly worked their way back with Jon Sheriff and Jeepy Faundo taking advantage of the token post defense put up by the Fighting Maroons.

UST came to within three points, 66-69, with still 1:01 left after Zachary Huang connected on a baseline jumper, but Desiderio came to the rescue as he sliced through the lane, nearly lost the ball, but regained control and scored on a lay-up with 41.9 seconds left to make it 71-66.

"Pinu-push ko lang 'yung teammates ko," Desiderio said after the game. "Kung may mintis, okay lang. Laro lang tayo, sundin lang natin ang game plan."

No other UP player scored in double-digits, but all but two players that Perasol fielded in scored at least three points. Noah Webb, more known for his defensive tenacity, had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting while twice blocking Vigil's shots in emphatic fashion.

Four players, including Lao and Moralde, added six points each. The Maroons, as a team, shot 38.46% from the field.

Second straight loss

It was the second straight defeat for the Growling Tigers since they stunned National University earlier in the second round. Vigil led his team with 16 points, while Faundo finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

A year after making it to the Finals, UST becomes the second team to be eliminated from Final Four contention, after the University of the East.

UP will end their tournament against the Red Warriors on November 13, while UST still has games against Adamson on Wednesday, and Ateneo de Manila University on November 12.

The scores:

UP (74) - Desiderio 16, Webb 9, Manuel 8, Dario 6, De Liano 6, Lao 6, Moralde 6, Vito 5, Asilum 3, Harris 3, Lim 3, Prado 3, Espanola 0, Romero 0.

UST (69) - Vigil 16, Huang 13, Faundo 10, Lee 9, Sheriff 8, Lao 5, Basibas 4, Subido 4, Afoakwah 0, Caunan 0, De Guzman 0, Macasaet 0.

Quarter scores: 14-12, 31-30, 53-47, 74-69

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