MAAC: "We Got Calls Wrong"

The concluding moments of regulation in last night's Fairfield/Marist game were a frenzy of mistakes due to questionable officiating and timing difficulties. There were constant stoppages for replay reviews and instances in which the officials had to convene to discuss calls. All in all, a hectic night at Harbor Yard.

The following is an official statement obtained by 'The Mirror' regarding the problems. It was released this morning by Jill Skotarczak, the assistant commissioner and a consultant of media relations for the MAAC. It reads:
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“After reviewing the issues related to the game with the Arena at Harbor Yard staff, MAAC Men’s Basketball Coordinator of Officials Brad Tracy and the MAAC staff, I would note the following:

“There was a problem with the timing devices throughout the evening. One of the problems might have been that the batteries to the officials’ packs were not changed after the preceding women’s game. The arena staff is continuing a check of the Precision Timing console and the clock system to insure that it is in working order for future contests.

“As to the out of bounds call with 2.1 seconds left in regulation, the officials ruled that it was Marist ball, because the Fairfield player had gone out of bounds. After reviewing the tape of the game, it is clearly an error by the official who blew the whistle, and he maintained that he definitely saw the player out of bounds. The call is not correctable, and the only question the officials reviewed on the courtside monitor was how much time should be on the game clock.

“As for the issue about the Fairfield player calling timeout as part of this sequence, a timeout must recognized by the officials. None of the officials on the game recognized the timeout in question.

“The MAAC Coordinator of Officials is reviewing the issues related to this call with the involved officials. - MAAC"

- K.C.