University of the East (UE) guard Wello Lingolingo apologized to De La Salle University Kean Baclaan following a loose-ball incident that left the first-year transferee guard with a season-ending injury.

Lingolingo took to social media to express remorse and sought forgiveness from Baclaan and his supporters a day after the Red Warriors’ 110-111 loss to the Green Archers in a hotly contested encounter in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“First and foremost, I would like to sincerely apologize to Kean Baclaan, to his family, to his team, and to everyone affected by the incident. I am truly sorry for what happened,” Lingolingo penned in a lengthy message he posted on his Instagram account late Thursday.

The UE skipper dove and tried to reach for the ball that Baclaan had already retrieved while on the floor but fell on the Green Archer’s right leg in the 4:20 mark of the fourth quarter with the Red Warrior protecting a five-point lead.

Baclaan grimaced in pain as he was carted off the court and was eventually diagnosed to have sustained a medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear that abruptly ended his season.

Lingolingo was ejected for an unsportsmanlike foul (category 2), his second technical infraction in the match after getting whistled for flopping.

“It was never my intention to hurt anyone. I was simply going for a usual loose ball dive, something we players instinctively do in the heat of the game,” Lingolingo said.

The UAAP, however, found his actions to have ‘involved excessive and forceful contact,’ and was slapped with a three-game suspension starting Sunday in the winless Red Warriors’ end of first round battle with Far Eastern University.

“I also want to express my respect to the UAAP and to everyone who continues to uphold fair play and sportsmanship in collegiate basketball,” he said in his statement.

“Moving forward, I accept this experience as a lesson to become a better and more responsible player.”

Baclaan, on his part, said he harbors no ill will toward the Red Warriors scorer and has put everything behind him as he focuses on his recovery.