UCLA beat SMU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday after getting some help thanks to a controversial goaltending call in the final 20 seconds.
UCLA blew a big second half lead and was trailing the Mustangs 59-55 with about 30 seconds left. Norman Powell made a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game, and then UCLA got a steal. Coming out of a timeout, they gave the ball to Bryce Alford, who had already made eight 3-pointers in the game. His shot looked like a definite miss, but SMU went up for the ball and caught it. The play was called goaltending, giving UCLA the three points.
Alford thought it was goaltending.
“Yeah, I did (think it was goaltending). When I shot it I thought it was going towards the rim and I saw a hand come up and grab it. It was either a rebound or goaltend, but it was on its way to the hoop, so you can’t fault the call,” Alford said.
Alford’s 27 points coming on nine 3-pointers led all scorers.
Here’s another angle of the shot and call:
Here is the explanation from the National Coordinator of Officials:
National Coordinator of Officiating John Adams explains call at end of SMU-UCLA Game: http://t.co/KDFrwn2epF
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 19, 2015
