MAC is reviewing BGSU-Buffalo ending

2/15/2007

BOWLING GREEN - The Mid-American Conference is reviewing the strange ending of Tuesday night's men's basketball game between Bowling Green State University and Buffalo.

MAC commissioner Rick Chryst said he, assistant commissioner Rick Boyages and coordinator of officials Sam Lickliter were examining what happened at the end of regulation in Buffalo's win.

The review was not requested by BGSU.

What is in question is the referees' decision to call a delay-of-game technical foul on the Falcons, and those made free throws sent the game into overtime.

BGSU coach Dan Dakich's postgame comments on the

officiating and whether he will be penalized for them will also be evaluated. The statement from the league could come today.

"If we make any announcement, it will be after that review is completed and we feel we have full information," Chryst said in an e-mail.

BGSU appeared to have won its third conference game of the year when, with the Falcons up 77-75 in the final seconds, the Bulls shot an airball and committed a shot-clock violation. There was a 1.4-second difference between the game clock and the shot clock, but the game clock expired.

Dakich said on his postgame radio show that he asked referee Kenneth Turner if the game was over. According to Dakich and sophomore Nate Miller, Turner said, "It's over," and waved his hands in the air.

The Falcons players and coaches then raced to the visiting locker room. Miller and Dakich said Turner also ran off the floor.

"We didn't run off the court as soon as an airball was made," Dakich said. "We waited."

But officials reviewed the last seconds and decided to put six-tenths of a second back on the clock. However, the Falcons were not on the court. After a five to seven-minute period, as estimated by assistant athletic director J.D. Campbell, Turner went back to the locker room to tell the Falcons to return.

Dakich said he responded that the players were showering.

Bulls coach Reggie Witherspoon went to the scorer's table and hit the buzzer repeatedly after the Falcons had been absent for a while. A few more minutes passed before BGSU returned, and when it did the team was called for a technical foul for taking so long to come back.

Yassin Idbihi made both foul shots to send the game into overtime, and Buffalo won 98-90.

"They absolutely [expletive] cheated us," Dakich said after the game. "Not Reggie, not Buffalo, those three [referees]."

Dakich, through Campbell, declined to comment further yesterday. Athletic director Greg Christopher was out of town and not available for comment.

"We won't comment any further until we would hear something from the league," Campbell said.

Contact Maureen Fulton at:

mfulton@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.