FEU’s challenge of Ateneo win shot down by Jao

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles will remain atop the league standings while the FEU Tamaraws will still have to face the De La Salle Green Archers on Sunday, September 21.

A day after FEU filed a protest regarding an incident in the fourth quarter of their game against Ateneo last Saturday, September 13, UAAP Season 77 Commissioner Andy Jao revealed his verdict of the complaint to the media and on live TV by stating that the Blue Eagles’ win will be upheld. 

“We cannot penalize the team on something that is correct,” the UAAP Commissioner explained.

FEU’s protest yesterday challenged whether or not a three-pointer made by Ateneo’s Von Pessumal at the 3:20 mark of the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, which was originally scored as a two to make the count 58-56, was indeed a three. 

Furthermore, FEU complained the game referees’ decision to change the shot to a three later on with less than a minute remaining in the fourth period was a mistake, since UAAP rules state that a change in score due to a review must be done in the next deadball situation after the shot occurred.  

The game officials changed the shot from a two to a three after four deadball instances had taken place.

However, Jao put clarity on the matter, saying that though the change in score took place long after the shot was made, it was still done within the rules of the UAAP.

“The first thing that we have to clear is that the three-point shot was a three-point shot,” Jao said during his interview with ABS-CBN’s TJ Manotoc.

“The rule is three instances: we can correct that (change in score after reviewing that Pessumal’s shot was indeed a 3-ball) in the first dead ball situation, the first time-out, and before the end of the period as the case may be.”

Jao also added that one of the game’s referees, Mark Garcia, actually called the shot a three-pointer but it was the scorekeeper who made the mistake of calling it a two.

“What happened here was that the scorer did not put in the three points. He signaled two points because he could not see the situation.” 

Because of this, Jao, who along with his staff was on the other side of the court after the shot attempt, tried to correct the mistake right away but could not due to the game action continuing.

“From the very start when the scorer missed it, we were calling the attention of the referees,” according to the commissioner, who later added: “The referees did not seem to notice us… We were calling them and we were trying to tell them to try and correct it.” 

On his verdict on the matter, Jao simply said that “My feeling and my belief is, there can be no technicality, because everything that we did was within the rule book.” 

“We cannot penalize the team on something that is correct.” 

He continued:

“We knew we were going to correct it. It just so happened, that in that period, it was the only time that the referees came to us.”

Ateneo will remain on top of the men’s basketball tourney league standings at 11-3, while FEU remains in a tie with La Salle at 10-4. 

The playoff games schedule for this weekend will go as planned, as NU will face UE in a tiebreaker for the no. 4 seed and the right to face Ateneo in the Final Four round on Saturday, September 20, while FEU and DLSU duels for the no. 2 seed on Sunday, September 21, before commencing their own Final Four duel.

“What is more important is we are going to the playoffs now and I think there are five teams that are really competitive and I really believe they can give us a lot of good entertainment for the rest of the playoffs,” said Jao. – Rappler.com