Officials got it right

Barry Faulkner

Any controversy surrounding UC Irvine guard Mike Efevberha’s

game-winning, three-point basket in the Anteaters’ 66-65 Big West

Conference men’s basketball triumph over visiting UC Riverside

Thursday night was washed away by a torrent of reality Friday

Conference and school officials said videotape of the game clearly

showed Efevberha was behind the three-point line when he left the

floor from just left of the top of the key on UCI’s final possession.

Further, Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell and John Dangleis,

the conference’s coordinator of men’s basketball officials, said

published reports about game officials refusing a UC Riverside

request to review the tape on a courtside television monitor were

erroneous.

“When I talked [Friday] with officials [referee Mike Scyphers, as

well as Bob Staffen and Michael Irving], they told me no request [to

review the tape] was made,” Dangleis said.

“The film shows it was definitely a three-point [goal].”

Farrell, who attended the game, supported the officials’ version

and said they took sufficient steps to get the call right.

NCAA rules allow for a correctible error -- and determining

whether a field goal is two or three points is correctible -- to be

reviewed on videotape by officials. Officials may decide

independently to review video. Also, a coach may request such a

review, though, if the ruling is upheld, the team that makes the

request will be charged a timeout. If that team has no remaining

timeouts, a technical foul is assessed, but Riverside had a timeout

left.