Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Emilio Aguinaldo College coach Ariel Sison couldn’t help but express his displeasure with the officiating on the heels of his side’s 84-79 defeat to Arellano on Friday.
“I think it wasn’t fair. The referees decided the game. It should be the players who should do that,” he said.
The Generals mentor was slighted with how the game transpired in the final five minutes, where they were tried to mounted a rally after staring at what was once a 15-point deficit.
With Arellano leading EAC, 75-74, Sison argued that the referees missed a traveling call on Lervin Flores with 1:32 left even as Sidney Onwubere got called for a shooting foul.
To make matters worse, the referees slapped a technical foul on Onwubere to hurt the Generals’ cause even more, allowing the Chiefs to takea 78-74 lead after the possession.
“I don’t understand. I was so frustrated. I don’t know what happened. It’s fine with me if we lose, but when the game is crucial, we’re trailing 74-75, and they will call a technical foul on us? I don’t know,” he said.
Sison is wary with how NCAA commissioner Bai Cristobal will interpret his sentiments after being the second coach to air his dissatisfaction on the officiating, following San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.
But he said all he wants is to put his team on a better position to make it to the Final Four.
“We want to win the game because this is the only way we can move to the Final Four. Now, I don’t know what will happen,” he said, as EAC sits at sixth place with its 6-7 card.
“We still have five games. I told them we have no choice but to work hard again. Let’s see if we can get to the Final Four. If we do, we’re lucky. But if we don’t, we’ll just achieve what we achieved last year.”
The Generals will shoot for an upset against league leader Lyceum on Tuesday.
“We’re gonna prepare for them, and hope that it will be the game we’ll getI hope we’re still alive because our hopes will depend on it,” he said.