Adamson University head coach Nash Racela did not mince words in expressing his disappointment with the officiating in the Falcons’ 58-62 loss to defending champion Ateneo de Manila University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 15 free throw attempts of the Blue Eagles did not sit well with Racela as none was given to his squad the entire fourth quarter. He also felt that the Falcons got the bulk of the whistle with 11 fouls called on them compared to just two for Ateneo.
“As a coach, I should be happy with the way our players competed but it’s not enough that you just compete. I think today — maybe I would agree Ateneo played a great fourth quarter, yeah, but this is something that surprised me. When we were up six points at the end of the third, we got into penalty right away,” he said.
“It’s seven and a half minutes when we were up by six. So, the story of the fourth quarter is 11 to two fouls. Ateneo got 15 free throws and we got nothing, that’s the sad part.”
Racela felt that the discrepancy on fouls called — 25 on Adamson and 13 on Ateneo — especially in the fourth took his wards’ chances of repeating over their first round victim. The Blue Eagles shot 16-of-31 from the charity stripe while the Falcons went 8-of-10.
