UP Maroons reach UAAP Finals for first time in 32 years

UP Maroons reach UAAP Finals for first time in 32 years

UP Maroons reach UAAP Finals for first time in 32 years

UP Maroons reach UAAP Finals for first time in 32 years

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UNIVERSITY of the Philippines outlasted Adamson in a sheer battle of attrition on Wednesday, 89-87, before a roaring sellout crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to reach the UAAP Finals for the first time in 32 years.  

Paul Desiderio delivered the dagger jump shot with 6.6 seconds left to peg the final score, and the Fighting Maroons forced Adamson guard Jerom Lastimosa into a tough three-pointer, which Lastimosa missed, in their final possession to seal the deal.

"It wasn't without hard work, it wasn't without tears, it wasn't without challenges," a tearful UP coach Bo Perasol said afterward. "This team will fight no matter what."

"If you are going to make a telenovela, how are you going to make it better than that?" said Perasol. "You already won it, then parang iniisip mo, how can you win it better? I'm just happy to be in the Finals . . . We're blessed to have this kind of win."