FORWARD Ron Dennison proved to be a nightmare for the prolific Paul Desiderio.
The 6’0” Dennison hounded his former teammate at the University of Visayas all afternoon and held Desiderio to one of his lowest outputs yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Far Eastern University Tamaraws’ efforts to limit Desiderio and the output of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons allowed them to post a 78-59 demolition when action ended in the 93rd University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.
This sent FEU to their third consecutive victory, and they went on to move up to third in the standings with their 4-2 win-loss record.
“Depensa namin. Nagawa naming iyung ni-ready namin sa UP, lalung lalo na iyung kay Desiderio na na-limit ko talaga,” said Dennison.
Dennison went on to finish with a game-high 16 points while teammate Richard Escoto provided 12.
The Fighting Maroons, who usually average 81.8 points, were held to their lowest output this season. FEU prepared hard for the game against UP after taking note of the 98-87 upset posted by the Maroons over the defending champion La Salle Green Archers in their previous game.
Desiderio made a season-high 30 points against La Salle. Against FEU, he was limited to only nine points.
“It’s a defensive game for us. This is the first time we held a team to below 60,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.
The Tams took control in the second period, and imposed their will under the boards through Prince Orizu, who took charge of the rebounding chores.
With the UP making only 10 points in that quarter, the Tams had little trouble moving away by 16, 40-24, at halftime.
The Tams, who led by as much as 27 point, took a 24-point edge, in the last six minutes of the third.
They did it after Dennison hit a triple, and Ken Tuffin followed up with a clutch, 50-26.
They got a brief scare after UP moved close off Juan Gomez de Liano’s drive, 48-58.
But, when FEU forced six turnovers in the last six minutes of the third, FEU’s outside shooting went into high gear, and Jasper Parker’s trey gave them a 74-48 edge.
The scores:
FEU 78 – Dennison 16, Escoto 12, Orizu 8, Inigo 7, Parker 7, Comboy 6, Cani 5, Tuffin 4, Ebona 4, Ramirez 4, Tolentino 3, Stockton 2, Trinidad 0, Nunag 0, Bayquin 0.
UP 59 – Ouattara 17, Gomez de Liano Ju 16, Desiderio 9, Dario 8, Manzo 4, Lim 3, Webb 2, Gomez de Liano Ja 0, Vito 0, Ricafort 0, Jaboneta 0, Lao 0, Prado 0.
Quarter scores: 18-14, 40-24, 56-43, 78-59.
Games Wednesday
(at the Araneta Coliseum)
2 p.m. Adamson vs UE
4 p.m. UP vs La Salle