NCAA basketball commissioner Tonichi Pujante came to the defense of the referees following a heated Game Two in the NCAA Season 95 men's basketball Finals, where San Beda pulled off the 78-75 win on Friday to force a decider against Letran.
"Unfortunately, there's no perfect officiating. What I could guarantee is they are honest mistakes, nothing malicious and game changers," he said.
Pujante issued clarifications on concerns raised by both sides, especially in the endgame.
Parties from the Letran side argued that Calvin Oftana's go-ahead three-point play with 19.1 seconds left, which put the Red Lions up, 77-76, shouldn't have been counted, insisting the Season MVP committed a travelling violation even before he got the bucket and a foul from Bonbon Batiller.
"It was validated that there was no travelling violation," the official said, noting that reviews were immediately conducted by the referees after the play.
On the other hand, Pujante also insisted the referees were right to stop the ensuing play after Batiller missed his potential go-ahead reverse which would have put the Knights ahead, even with San Beda already securing possession and bringing the ball downcourt.
"I had to reset the shot clock at 5.1 seconds because it was validated that the ball wasn't in (Evan) Nelle's hands yet [when the shotclock-buzzer sounded]," he said.
Red Lions coach Boyet Fernandez urged the technical group after the match to conduct a thorough review of the calls made in Game Two and harped for a better and fair officiating come the winner-take-all Game Three on Tuesday.
Pujante did acknowledge the San Beda mentor's frustrations, but said that as has been the case since the season began in July, he enjoined everyone to follow the proper procedures if they have concerns with regards to officiating.
"I've been telling everyone that if they have concerns, they have to document it, send me the quarter and time, and I will address it technically and objectively," he said.
"It puts us in a bad light, not only the technical group but the NCAA as a whole. Their statements are detrimental to the league. I could also vouch for the integrity of my referees. I have seven international referees and four PBA D-League aspirants."
Pujante also made it clear that as commissioner, it's his mandate to exhibit objectivity when it comes to the games, something he believes he has fulfilled this season.
"As regards with my job, I don't take sides," he said. "We also simply want fair officiating and hope that San Beda and Letran come up with another blockbuster game for Game Three."
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