Referee injured and stretchered off court

Referee Rick Crawford was doing OK after leaving the court on a stretcher after he was inadvertently struck in the face by Vanderbilt center Damian Jones following the opening tipoff of the consolation game of the Barclays Center Classic on Saturday night. Crawford threw the ball up for the opening tipoff and as Jones came down, it appeared as if his arm struck the 19-year official flush on the face. Crawford immediately fell to the court, and was tended to by medical professionals for roughly 10 minutes before being carried off the court. Crawford said he “felt an elbow hit me across my right eye and then I just went down,” following the tipoff. “It was a little scary.” Crawford said he did not have concussion symptoms. Vanderbilt defeated La Salle 68-55. – AP