At A Glance
- The UAAP slapped a five-game suspension to National University guard Gelo Santiago after an incident between the Bulldogs and the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Sunday, Oct. 26, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
NU's Gelo Santiago (UAAP Media)
The UAAP slapped a five-game suspension to National University guard Gelo Santiago after an incident between the Bulldogs and the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Sunday, Oct. 26, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
During a rebound battle at the 8:50 mark of the third quarter, Santiago and Waki Espina slugged it out for better positioning but the former hit the back of the head of his Ateneo counterpart with a right forearm which the league deemed as a “dangerous non-basketball play."
The 5-foot-8 Santiago was called for a disqualifying foul and was thrown out of the contest.
“After a review, the UAAP Season 88 Basketball Commissioner’s Office deemed Santiago's conduct unsportsmanlike and considered the act dangerous,” UAAP wrote. “National University may file a motion for reconsideration regarding the suspension.”
Though NU managed to hack out a 66-50 victory against Ateneo, it still suffered a big blow for its upcoming games with Santiago serving as a vital piece in their successful run that put them atop the standings with a 7-2 slate.
The cat-quick guard will sit out starting this Sunday, Nov. 2, with his squad facing De La Salle University, followed by assignments versus Adamson (Nov. 8), Far Eastern University (Nov. 12), University of the East (Nov. 15), and University of Santo Tomas (Nov. 23).
This would be the heaviest suspension so far this year in the men’s division after UE’s head coach Chris Gavina and Wello Lingolingo received four and three games suspension, respectively.
Santiago, for his part, had issued an apology to Espina, noting he was just carried away by his emotions.
“Gusto ko humingi ng pasensya kay Espina at sa Ateneo, siguro sa physical game, hindi ko na-control ‘yong emotions ko siguro pasensya na lang din kasi nagawa ko ‘yon,” said Santiago.