AS relieved as Adamson coach Nash Racela is to pull off the thrilling 62-59 upset win over defending champion University of the Philippines on Wednesday, he’s still seeking clarification from the league’s technical committee on the officiating errors which occurred late in the game.
READ: Ray Allen Torres, Adamson send UP to first 0-2 start since 2016
“We deserve an explanation from them. We expect the Commissioner's Office to reach out to us, at least man lang explain,” he said.
There were a number of refereeing gaffes in the duel, most notable of which was when the Soaring Falcons played five-on-four for a good 20 seconds in the final 1:30 of the game.
“First time nangyari sa akin yun sa coaching career ko, pinalaro yung apat,” Racela - who has called the shots in the UAAP, PBA, and NCAA - sighed.
When Cedrick Manzano fouled out with 90 seconds left on the clock, the San Marcelino crew were left stunned when play resumed without them being able to field in a replacement.
That left the quartet of AJ Fransman, Matty Erolon, Mathew Montebon, and Cade Ronzone to fend for themselves, as the Fighting Maroons defense collapsed on them and forced a turnover.
“I don't know. I can't really explain that. I knew that I had some time to think about who I will field in and we were thinking about it, pero biglang pinalaro nung referee, eh no? Hindi ko alam,” argued Racela.
Adamson only got back to playing five-on-five by fielding Joshua Barcelona with 1:10 left on the clock.
Falcons find a way
That was just one of the few head-scratching moments for both teams in the clutch, but the soft-spoken mentor was comforted that his players played through the distractions and escaped with the victory – their first in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
“Sabi ko nga sa inyo, we are trying to really understand how they interpret it. Pero today, medyo nagkaroon ng konting confusion. So buti na lang, despite that, we lost, I think, more than 10 seconds yung nakain, but still, bola nila,” he said.
“I was expecting na ire-rewind ba, na ibalik talaga yung bola doon as if nothing happened and then we put our fifth guy in, but hindi. I don't know if it happens in FIBA.”
Racela, though, is expecting a transparent report from the office of Jai Reyes to fully expound on what really transpired, at least from the officials’ vantage point.
“Si commissioner Jai naman has been doing his part. Very open yung communication with the coaches, so for sure baka hindi pa matapos yung gabi, alam na namin,” he said.
SPIN.ph has sought Reyes’ comment on the matter, but he has yet to issue as of press time.
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