Lipa slams refs for loss in Game 1

Ateneo coach Joe Lipa was literally frothing at the mouth, blasting the referees when he entertained a couple of mediamen inside the gloomy Ateneo dugout Thursday evening – long after his team absorbed a painful 68-74 loss to La Salle in Game One of their best-of-three battle for the UAAP men’s basketball crown.

It took close to an hour after the game before the door finally opened and allowed the weary Ateneo players to leave, each one of them carrying the heavy burden of losing a game they were in control three-fourth of the way.

A team official then signaled the mediamen to come in, field questions and listen to Lipa, known for his explosive temper on the court and his candidness off it, deliver a strong 10-minute tirade against the game officials.

"I have to show my disgust at the officiating," said the Ateneo mentor, walking back and forth, wiping the sweat off his face with a white handkerchief.

"I just hope that the officials will give me (Joe Lipa), a fair shake. I know nothing will come out of this. But I like to show them that we were screwed in this game. I will write them to show that we were sc....d. It’s not even a complaint but I’ll write them ( tomorrow)," he said.

Did he sound like he was sourgraping? Well, to La Salle supporters probably yes. But to Ateneo fans, he seemed to have a point.

Lipa cited several instances when the referees might have erred in judgment, including a point in the first quarter when Archer Mike Cortez should have been slapped a third foul.

"There was a clear foul on Cortez which should have been his third. But the referees let it go and Cortez delivered the winning baskets, too," said Lipa, who had recently announced that this will be his final year with Ateneo.

At the end of the first half, Lipa confronted the referees at centercourt and was eventually warned by the officials, with the coliseum barker announcing over the microphone: "Warning on the Ateneo coach for disrespectfully addressing the referees."

Lipa quickly apologized to the referees, in fact bowing his head as if he was praying. This drew chants of "We love Joe! We love Joe!" from the Ateneo gallery.

"Then there was a closed fist by Carlo Sharma on Rich Alvarez before they were warned for trash-talking (late in the third quarter) and they did not call it. And the one committed by Ren Ren Ritualo on LA Tenorio down the stretch should have been a flagrant foul," he added.

Lipa cited the case of his main man, Enrico Villanueva, who was thrown out of the court and suspended one game in the second round for throwing a punch on Adamson’s Steven Rolan during the game, eventually jeopardizing the 6-foot-5 slotman’s bid for the MVP award.

"They suspended Enrico and denied him the chance to win the MVP award. Earlier, I think the referees saw Sharma throw a punch at Alvarez. No foul was called and no one was thrown out. I hope the ABA (Asian Basketball Academy) officials will be fair enough and consistent that any punch thrown should merit a suspension," Lipa explained.

"We will not put the game under protest because they will say it was a judgment call. We just want to show our disgust with the officiating."

Asked how the loss would affect his players as they prepare for Game Two next Thursday, Lipa had a quick, straight reply:

"We just have to play above the level of the officiating. We almost did it earlier."