Officials Who Erred Barred By Ncaa

Three officials were barred from working any more 1998 women’s tournament games by the NCAA on Monday after their wrong call allowed Alabama’s game-winning shot against UCLA.

Banned are Jack Riordan, Robert Strong and Lolly Saenz because, the NCAA said, they made officiating mistakes at the end of the Midwest Regional game at Tuscaloosa on Sunday. The mistakes included allowing Latoya Caudle’s game-winning shot to stand.

“After reviewing the tape of the game with Marcy Weston, national coordinator of women’s basketball officiating, it is apparent that officiating mistakes were made,” said Jean Lenti Ponsetto, chair of the Division I women’s basketball committee.

Despite finding that the home-team timekeeper started the clock too slowly and a violation was committed on the inbounds pass, the NCAA said the Crimson Tide would still be recognized as the winner and advance to the regional semifinals in Lubbock, Texas, Friday.

It started with 1.8 seconds left, when UCLA’s Maylana Martin was fouled and hit her first free throw to give the Bruins a 74-73 lead. She missed the second, Alabama got the rebound and called a timeout with 0.8 seconds left.

After the break, Riordan told Alabama guard Brittney Ezell she could run the baseline on the inbounds pass, a ruling he later admitted was incorrect. Players can only run the baseline after a made basket or free throw.

Ezell ran the baseline and threw a pass three-quarters of the court, where it was tipped by both UCLA’s Erica Gomez and Alabama’s Dominique Canty. Canty’s deflection went to Caudle, who banked in the winning jumper.

UCLA coach Kathy Olivier protested.

“Clearly, the officials failed to call the violation on the end line when the student-athlete moved from the throw-in spot,” Ponsetto said. “However, by rule, that is not a correctable error.

“Clearly also, if the officials thought a timing error had been made, they could have reviewed the tape before they left the floor. … They did not. Once they leave the floor, by rule, their jurisdiction ends, the game is over and the score stands.”

Replays showed the clock didn’t start when the ball was first touched, but once the referees left the court, the word of timekeeper Doc Blanchard was all NCAA officials could go on. Blanchard, who has been working the clock at Alabama games for more than a quarter century, said he started it on time.

“They may use TV monitors for a scoring or a timing mistake if they feel a mistake has occurred - that’s the operative phrase,” Weston said. “They got it right. The ball was out of her hand before time expired. That’s the main focus. They didn’t think there was anything controversial. If they thought there was, they would have had to go to the table before they left the floor.”

“It’s so sad that the focus after a great game is not on how the players from both teams gave their guts, but on an old clock and the guy running it,” said Olivier. “What should have been a great game for women’s basketball is just a controversy.

“This underscores the problem of not playing these games at neutral sites,” she said.

Ex-Bruin to return awards

Natalie Williams, the ABA’s most valuable player, says she will give back the six NCAA-sanctioned awards she won at UCLA to express her outrage over the shot clock shenanigans.

“It is a travesty that the NCAA has not overruled the outcome of this game,” she said.

Williams, the first woman to win All-American honors in two sports, said unless the NCAA overturns the outcome, she will give back four first-team volleyball All-American awards, a first-team All-American basketball award and volleyball player of the year award.