from tidesports.com.....

BREAKING NEWS: Officials reprimanded for Alabama womens basketball rulling

By Tommy Deas
Sports Reporter
March 07, 2005

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The officiating crew that handled the controversial finish of the University of Alabama’s loss to top-ranked LSU in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament has been reprimanded, but not for changing Alabama’s game-tying 3-pointer into a two-point bucket.

Bill Stokes, the SEC’s coordinator of women’s basketball officials, said Monday that the crew of Brian Enterline, Yvette McKinney and Beverly Roberts erred by putting 5.1 seconds on the clock and replaying the end of Fridays second round game, which LSU won 60-59.

“We should not have put 5.1 back on the clock,” Stoke told The Tuscaloosa News. “That was the only thing that was done incorrectly.”

Alabama apparently tied the game at 60 with less than six seconds to go on a shot by Natasha Gamble that was ruled a three-pointer. After LSU inbounded, dribbled the length of the court and failed to get off a shot before the buzzer, officials decided to use television replay to determine whether Gambles foot was on the 3-piont line. After looking at different angles made by Fox Sport South’s television equipment, the crew ruled the Gamble’s basket was a two-pointer, then replayed the final 5.1 seconds.

By rule, the crew could change the score but not replay part of the game.

“There is a reprimand for that part of the ruling,” Stokes said. “The part of the ruling that changed it to a two instead of a three, there is no reprimand for that.”


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Okay...so should they have gone to OT with the score being 60-59 since Alabama thought it was tied and the scoreboard showed 60-60??

No OT. As far as I can tell, you only play the overtime it you have already started it. Since they had not yet started it, they should have just cancelled the three, made it a two, and run like hell. LOL

I wondered why Enterline was in Greensboro, NC, for the ACC semi-finals on Sunday. Did they ship Lisa Mattingly to Greenville for the LSU-Tennessee game? I figured Bell and Kantner would be two of the officials anyway, but I wondered where Mattingly came from; I hadn't seen her there all weekend.

Mattingly worked the ACC Championship Game tonight.

I know none of us are in the same league as these officials, but it's good to see finally that our question from another thread about why they put time back on the clock has been answered. I think we all felt this was a mistake from the get-go. Just goes to show even great officials can make serious blunders from time to time.

I know it was against the rule, but to me it seems the most equitable thing to have done.
The defense didn't foul, knowing they only needed to stop a score to go to overtime. Had they known they were down 1, they surely would have fouled with less than 5 seconds left.

This type of comment always kills me. (Nothing against you in particular Adam. I like the vast majority of your posts. :))

Why do people always believe that the way they would do something is more fair than the way the rules say to handle it? The rules ARE the fair way by definition. If the people who set up the rules of the game didn't believe that they were fair, they wouldn't be the rules because they would be changed.


Now that I am done with that rant, I can say that this same type of finish almost happened in the UTEP @ NEVADA game earlier this season. I wrote a little post on here about it then too. Upon checking the monitor between the end of regulation and the start of the OT, the referee correctly determined UTEP's game tying shot with 3 seconds left to really be a three. I was hoping that it wasn't, not so much because I wanted to see NV win, but rather because I really wanted to see a D1 game end with a correctable error. Of course, after the way the officials handled it in LSU-Alabama, I'm still waiting.

I think the mistake was not checking the tape immediately, before the 5.1 seconds ever began. One official signaled a 3, the other didn't. At that point, should have blown it and checked it. Then Bama knows if they need to foul or not.

No offense taken. And thanks. My point wasn't that the refs should have disregarded the rules. My point was that in this instance, I do think the rule is very equitable in light of the officials' error. When a team operates under the assumption of a tie on defense, when in fact they are down one, the disadvantage caused by the officials' error is huge.
That said, as officials we must apply the rules fairly as written. That doesn't mean we can't challenge certain rules, however, if given the opportunity. I also don't like that the AP arrow doesn't change until after the throw-in is over, but I'll officiate as if I don't have an opinion on the rule. :)

Enterline was scheduled for the SEC Championship but was taken off. Who knows how this will impact his NCAA tourney schedule. He is highly regarded.

Mulk

This seems like the right thing to do. That way everyone knows exactly what the score is and what they gotta do.

Is Lisa Mattingly the blond headed official with the ponytail that did the SECWCG?

I heard that Enterline was taken of the SEC championship and moved to the Big 10 championship. He and Lisa Mattingly just switched games.

No. Dark hair, works the WNBA as well...

With all the conferences that the top officials work, none of these "reprimands" mean much at all.

Not so sure that's true of all three of those officials...Enterline is pretty "big-time", but the other two aren't so it will have a much larger impact on them...as far as future effect on Enterline, I think Rich is correct - we'll see him in the NCAA tournament...

One more question....
 

What if the shot occurred at the top of the circle and the trail signaled a 2? Then, the trail observes the C giving the
the touchdown signal for the 3.

High school game, no monitor. You stop the game immediately but, how do you rectify?

Mulk

Well,
 

As a baseball guy just visiting I was very impressed with how many posters not only noticed the problem but also were exactly correct in what should have been done.

It was a nice thread for this site. Nah, no group hug however.

McKinney has worked the NCAA title game. Roberts has worked at least to the third round, based on the boxscores I was able to find. I wouldn't be surprised if she's worked further considering the length of time she's been working in the big conferences.

I don't think this will affect anything on the national level. The SEC's reprimand may mean nothing to the NCAA itself.

Mattingly's hair seems to be lighter or darker depending on how recently she's had it colored. She is not a favorite among women's basketball fans, but that may be because she's just a name everyone knows.

Enterline was apparently kicked off the SEC championship game yesterday, but he worked the ACC semi instead. Last night he did the Big Ten championship.

Must be tiring working and traveling like that...

Re: One more question....
 

2 points.