The Adamson University Soaring Falcons always believed that they could keep up with top two teams, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and DLSU Green Archers. However, their record against the gold standards of the league does not support this, as all four of Adamson’s losses have come from the two teams.
However, the Soaring Falcons had a chance to stun the defending champions on Saturday afternoon. But the “breaks” did not favor Adamson, according to second-year head coach Franz Pumaren.
“I guess, di naman worry, there were certain breaks of the game I don’t wanna sound sourgraping but it showed there was a couple of calls that were questionable,” said Pumaren after Adamson’s 74-80 loss.
There were a couple of plays that Pumaren cited.
The first occured during the third frame. With 3:08 remaining in the half, Papi Sarr went for a hook shot over Santi Santillan. But out of nowhere, Ben Mbala swatted it away. However, replays showed that the ball was on its way down but a goaltending violation was not called.
His second gripe proved to be crucial in the end game.
With 51 seconds remaining, Sarr was in a good position to knot the game at 74-all. But the officials called the Cameroonian student-athlete for a three-second violation, asserting that he had camped way too long on the paint. And that drew the ire of the outspoken mentor.
“First of all, I don’t think it was a three-second violation, that was crucial and the refs made the decision,” lamented the multi-time UAAP champion coach.
“We shouldn’t let the referees decide the game. That’s my opinion but of course it’s debatable by the way you look at it.”
Still, with a 6-4 record, Pumaren is not panicking over where they stand in the league rankings, knowing that his team did enough against the Green Archers.
