Sunday, February 13, 2005

By Ed Daigneault

Copyright © 2005 Republican-American




So long, Les: It's safe to say we probably won't see much of official Les Jones in future Big East games after the terrible call he made Tuesday night in Rutgers' disputed 62-61 overtime victory against Seton Hall.

Rutgers guard Quincy Douby launched a desperation 18-footer with the game tied at the end of overtime. Seton Hall guard Donald Copeland left his feet to defend the shot, but had enough body control to make only the slightest of contact with Douby. Jones called a foul, sending Douby to the free-throw line with no time left on the clock on a call that normally wouldn't have been made even in the middle of a first half.

Douby hit the second of two free throws to win the game. Seton Hall coach Louis Orr, as mild-mannered a coach as you're likely to find, had to be restrained from going after Jones following the game.

"You don't always get rewarded for fighting hard and defending well," Orr said. "You don't want the game to end on the basis of what they ended it on. There was no foul. The game should have gone to (a second) overtime. I don't know if (Jones) bailed them out or what, but he made a bad call."

Even Rutgers coach Gary Waters didn't dispute that.

"You'd rather go another five minutes than have that situation," said Waters, whose team broke a five-game losing streak. "But when you're in dire need for a win, you take anything you can get.