Upholds NU protest vs FEU: UAAP body orders replay

MANILA, Philippines - The UAAP technical committee yesterday ordered a replay of last Sunday’s game between Far Eastern U and host National University, upholding the Bulldogs’ protest for lack of conclusive evidence.

The members of the technical committee, made up of representatives from Ateneo, La Salle, Adamson, Santo Tomas, UE and UP, unanimously voted in favor of the replay.

The Tamaraws won the match on a buzzer-beating layup by RR Garcia, 77-75. But the Bulldogs placed the result under protest, saying time had expired when the shot was made.

Commissioner Ato Badolato initially turned down the NU protest, and this year’s host school, supported by the family of Henry Sy Sr., took it a step further.

“No comment,” was Badolato’s reaction after the technical committee came up with the decision.

Slow-motion replays show that Garcia had already released the ball or at least it was still touching the tip of his fingers when the buzzer sounded.

The committee found this inconclusive, and ordered that the match be replayed on Sept. 23.

FEU dropped to 7-3, and NU back up to 6-4.

“It was not clear. It could have really gone either way. So, to be fair to both sides, the replay was ordered. It was a unanimous decision,” said committee member Ricky Palou of Ateneo.

Palou said FEU officials, as expected, did not like the decision, but the Ateneo official said there’s nothing more that can be done because it was already the board that decided.

It was not the first time a UAAP match was ordered replayed. Palou recalled a game between La Salle and UE being replayed seven years ago due to a controversial play in the closing seconds.

“Because of the pieces of evidence, statements and video used in the deliberation were inconclusive and unclear, and most of the points brought up showed that time had expired before the ball was fully released, the UAAP board unanimously upheld the appeal of NU for a replay of the game that is scheduled Sept. 23, 2012,” said La Salle representative Henry Atayde.

Mark Molina, FEU athletic director, said it was an “unprecedented decision by the UAAP board to overrule the commissioner.”

The Tams are expected to vent their ire on the UE Warriors when they clash at 4 p.m. today.

Meanwhile, UST tries to get closer to frontrunner Ateneo as it plays also-ran UP in the 2 p.m. opener.

At 8-3, the Tigers are just behind the Eagles (9-2) but just ahead of third running FEU and No. 4 La Salle (7-4) with the Final Four race expected to heat up the next two weeks.