UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio took exception to a particular Ateneo player who refused to shake his hand at the conclusion of the Growling Tigers' 67-59 victory over the Blue Eagles on Saturday.
READ: UST keeps solo fourth as Akowe too much to handle for Ateneo
Tensions flared a bit during the traditional post-game handshake, leading to Jarencio having a discussion with counterpart Tab Baldwin.
Insiders from the UST camp shared that Jarencio didn't take kindly to Ateneo's Jaden Lazo supposedly turning his back on the veteran mentor, who wasted no time calling the attention of the one-and-done guard.
Both teams, however, were quick to diffuse the tension.
Baldwin, more pointedly, shrugged off the exchange afterward.
"There was nothing between the Ateneo players and the UST players or the coaches," he told reporters.
Ateneo, UST agree to disagree
What he shed light on, however, was his thoughts on the officiating - though he didn't really elaborate much on their conversation.
"I was talking to Pido about my opinions about the referees and he basically agreed and that was it. That's why I paused there," stated Baldwin.
"There was no angst, there was no discomfort between us. So there was a discussion, but that was what was discussed and it wasn't a problem between us."
What's clear, though, is how both teams now take different trajectories in their respective Final Four bids, with UST ascending to a 7-5 record and Ateneo continuing its freefall to a 5-6 standing.
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