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JugglingReferee,
The fact that the teams fouled less in the second half is usually a good indicator that you called it tight enough in the first half for them to get the message that they needed to back off a little bit. My personal philosophy is to start the game pretty tight and then the players will adjust and play a very clean game. Calling a couple off-ball calls in the first quarter always makes for a much better game in the long run.
You may have done this, but if I feel a game is a little "uncomfortable," I will get together with my partner at a time-out and figure out what we can do to get it back on easy street. If we have to use the entire time-out to talk and we never get to our "time out spots," so be it.
99% of the time that a game feels "uncomfortable" to me, it's time for me and my partner to adjust and that adjustment usually means moving that line of what is and isn't a foul to be a little tighter.
It's been a long time since I've felt that way in a game (knock on wood), but I'm sure it will happen again. The key is to "get the game back" under your control (and comfort zone) right away.
Z
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