Photo by Carly Pearson
Members of the Emporia State men’s basketball team, from left, Jordan Fithian, Caleb Tegtmeier, Andrew Davison, Doug Moore and Jordan Stout, watch the last few minutes of the game against Northwest Missouri State from the floor Thursday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets lost in double overtime, 91-83.
Andrew Davison circled the gym like a 6-year-old boy playing airplane.
With arms extended, he zoomed to one corner, then to another, circling with a single finger pointed up on each hand.
His shot — the miracle, 50-foot, at-the-buzzer prayer from beyond half-court — had just banked off the glass and somehow found its way through the net.
“That was the most excited I’ve ever been,” Davison said.
The most dejected, furious and upset he’s ever been came just minutes later.
After a 15-minute video review, officials called off Davison’s shot, saying he had released it after the buzzer.
Two overtimes later, Emporia State fell 91-83 to Northwest Missouri State in a game that will be remembered most for the shot that didn’t count.
“We won,” Davison said when asked what he was thinking after his releasing his shot at the end of regulation. “I felt like I looked up at the clock with 1 second to go, and I let it go. I don’t think my shot takes a whole second to do.
“I don’t know how they decided what they decided, but they’re the officials.”
The shot, which came with the game tied at 66, would have given the Hornets a three-point victory. After it fell through — and the crowd erupted, shaking the walls at White Auditorium — Northwest coaches pleaded for the video replay to be used.
The replay system was implemented by the MIAA before this season.
Photo by Carly Pearson
Emporia State's Andrew Davison celebrates on the court at White Auditorium after making a game-winning shot at the buzzer Thursday night. The officials later took the basket away, forcing the game into overtime. The Hornets lost in double overtime to Northwest Missouri State, 91-83.
After a few minutes were taken to get the tape to work, two of the officials reviewed the shot, even though the video feed given to them had no way of telling the time left on the clock.
The referees used their own make-shift method, borrowing a stopwatch off a cell phone to try to determine what the actual clock said.
After a previously made basket — when the clock was stopped — it was determined that 9 seconds remained. The officials started the stopwatch when the ball was inbounded, then timed how long it took before Davison released his shot.
Following the 15-minute delay, the officials waved off the basket, sending Davison and ESU coach David Moe into a frenzy.
It also brought on a charged and sustained boo from the hundreds in attendance who had eagerly awaited the official word of the ESU victory they thought they’d already seen.
“There was no question (it was good),” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said. “I seen where he released the ball. I seen the red light. It was clear as day it went in.
“But, you know, we’ve got three officials. It was their judgment.”
Photo by Carly Pearson
Emporia State's Andrew Davison watches from the bench after fouling out in overtime in the game against Northwest Missouri State. Davison hit a game winning 3-pointer at the buzzer only to have the officials take it away.
Added Moe this morning: “To my knowledge, the shot was good. It was clearly good from what I saw after the game watching it on tape. It was called good, and by rule, it’s over. By rule, there’s only a couple things you can do.
“By rule, the game is over, but we played on.”
It took all ESU had to get it to a second overtime.
Davison fouled out a few minutes into the extra period, leaving the Hornets without him and starters Caleb Tegtmeier and Jordan Fithian.
Still, down 75-72, Townsend put in a guarded 3-pointer with 34 seconds left.
NWMSU’s Lance Sullivan missed a contested 18-footer at the buzzer that would have won it in the first OT.
Sullivan still helped his team take control in the second overtime, hitting a momentum-shifting three to make it 82-78 with 2:33 left before going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 1 1/2 minutes.
“The whole ending was hectic,” Moe said. “We had to buck up in the overtime, and we just ran out of gas.”
Townsend led ESU with 30 points, while Davison added 14.
The Hornets looked as if they might not allow the game to be close late in the second half.
After a made free throw by Davison, ESU held a 56-45 advantage with just 6:03 remaining.
The Hornets committed five turnovers in the next 5 1/2 minutes, actually falling behind by two before Marvin Lee’s leaning shot off the glass tied it with 9 seconds left.
Following a missed three from Sullivan, Davison took the rebound and put down a few dribbles before releasing his shot from beyond the mid-court stripe.
The one that didn’t end up counting.
“That’s one of the shots you tell your kids. That’s one for the ages,” Townsend said. “No matter what, we’re always going to remember that shot.”
Northwest Mo. State men 91, ESU 83
Thursday at White Auditorium
1 2 OT 2OT
NW Mo. State 31 35 9 16 — 91
Emporia State 36 30 9 8 — 83
NW MISSOURI STATE (14-6, 6-5 MIAA) — Lance Sullivan 5-10 13-14 28, Andy Peterson 6-14 0-0 14, Matt Withers 4-11 6-8 14, Hunter Henry 5-11 3-4 13, John Hawkins 3-5 0-0 6, Elijah Allen 2-2 2-2 6, Eddie Gray 1-10 2-2 5, Mike Larsen 1-7 0-0 3, Kevin Cayruth 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 28-76 26-30 91.
EMPORIA STATE (11-9, 6-5 MIAA) — DeAndre Townsend 6-12 15-15 30, Andrew Davison 4-10 2-3 14, Dustin Andrews 4-7 1-2 11, Jordan Fithian 4-7 0-1 8, Caleb Tegtmeier 2-5 2-2 8, Marvin Lee 2-9 2-5 6, Spencer Allen 3-6 0-1 6, Matt Boswell 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Stout 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 22-29 83.
3-point goals — NW Missouri State 9-27 (Sullivan 5-7, Peterson 2-4, Gray 1-7, Larsen 1-5, Cayruth 0-1, Hawkins 0-1, Henry 0-2), Emporia State 11-32 (Davison 4-10, Townsend 3-8, Andrews 2-5, Tegtmeier 2-4, Stout 0-1, Allen 0-2, Lee 0-2). Fouled out — NW Missouri State: None; Emporia State: Davison, Tegtmeier, Fithian. Rebounds — NW Missouri State 45 (Henry 13), Emporia State 38 (Lee 10). Assists — NW Missouri State 15 (Gray 4), Emporia State 19 (Townsend 7). Total fouls — NW Missouri State 22, Emporia State 26. Att — 2,048.
Comments
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Posted by Go_Emporia (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
According to the rulebook, ESU won.
Unless of course, the MIAA decides it's now suddenly permissable for officials to conjure up and use any available gadget to determine the outcomes of games. A cellphone stopwatch??? Please!! Perhaps a flip of a coin might have been a more efficient way to go considering the lateness of the hour last night.
This was a pathetic example of officials ignoring the rules as written! I don't see how the MIAA can do anything but overturn this one.
Hold your heads up, guys, you didn't lose this one. The officials stole it from you.
Posted by jman1982 (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Your absolutely right Go Emporia, those guys played their hearts out & they were robbed. I will take us be awarded the win, wipe the game off the books completely or lets replay the game. You know Tom Svehla has always been a good official but he botched this like it was his first game ever.
Posted by GARRISONJHALL (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I DO NOT SEE HOW A SHOT LIKE THAT CAN BE OVERULED...UNLESS THE TIME CLOCK IS ALSO ON THE SAME SCREEN WITH THE SHOT.
SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE OFFICIALS DID NOT WANT EMPORIA TO WIN; OR, ELSE, THE OFFICIALS DID WANT NW MISSOURI TO WIN.
IF I AM THE EMPORIA COACH, I WOULD NOT ALLOW MY PLAYERS ON ANY COURT WITH ANY OF THE OFFICIALS INVOLVED.
HOPEFULLY, ESU WILL STRONGLY PROTEST THE RULING.
ALSO...THEY NEED TO TELL THE OFFICIALS THEY NEEDN'T EVER RETURN TO EMPORIA.
KIND OF SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THE GOLD MEDAL GAME IN 1968 (I THINK THAT'S THE YEAR) THAT THE U.S TEAM HAD THE GOLD MEDAL STOLEN FROM THEM.
HOPEFULLY, THIS "METHOD" WILL BE OUTLAWED BY THE MIAA, WHICH...IF THEY LET THAT THEFT STAND...IS NOTHING MORE THAN SCUM. AND, I TRULY MEAN IT.
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