Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Texas A&M-CC mens team falls to San Marcos in game delayed by missing referees

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Wednesday, November 29, 2000

Texas A&M-CC men's team falls to San Marcos in game delayed by missing referees
Sloppy play, questionable officiating hurts Islanders in 79-74 loss to Bobcats
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times

Associated Press

Hicks

SAN MARCOS - Considering the circumstances, it wasn't too surprising that Tuesday night's game between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southwest Texas State had such a bizarre tone to it.
   For starters, the game was delayed almost an hour when it was discovered no referees had been assigned. Once it did start, the short-handed, two-man officiating crew called in for emergency service had a questionable game at best, calling a flurry of technical fouls, intentional fouls and various other unusual calls that in part helped give Southwest Texas a 79-74 victory.
   Islander head coach Ronnie Arrow, whose team seemed to be the victim of most of the strange calls, was livid during the game, picking up a technical in the first half and nearly getting himself ejected several times afterwards.
   Arrow, who was making his return to the school he played for in the late 1960s, took the high road following the game, being careful not to blast the makeshift officiating crew of two men.
   "I don't think that mattered," he said. "They could have had 10 refs here. It's just a shame because of the way our guys played."
   Originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m, the game was didn't start until a couple of minutes before 8 p.m. According to the Southwest Texas athletic department, the Southland Conference failed to assign officials for the game. The Bobcats did not realize this until Tuesday evening and had to scramble to track down replacements.
   Eventually, the school contacted two Southland-sanctioned referees from Austin, who made the drive down to San Marcos and arrived for the game shortly before 8 p.m.
   The two-man crew had its problems all night, leading to a sloppy, physical game, though it looked like the closing seconds would be decided by the players, not the referees.
   With the Islanders trailing 73-70 with 2 minutes to play, freshman point guard Brian Evans drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving him a career-best 16 points and knotting the score at 73.
   A&M-Corpus Christi (3-2) took a brief lead when Dustin Shultz made 1 of 2 free throws, but the Bobcats (2-2) answered right back after Islander Sennai Atsbeha picked up his fifth foul on a questionable holding call. That ended a brilliant night by Atsbeha, who had 17 points and five 3-pointers, tying a school record.
   As a team, A&M-Corpus Christi sank 11 3-pointers, also tying a school record on a night in which the Islanders' top two players were in serious foul trouble. Both Michael Hicks, held to 12 points, and Damian Kirkaldy (four points, all on free throws) picked up their fourth fouls early in the second half.
   That left a hodgepodge of A&M-Corpus Christi players on the court down the stretch, but the unknowns answered the call. Evans had 16 points, five assists and did not turn the ball over once. Atsbeha came off the bench to score his 17. Shultz had eight points and seven boards, and sophomore forward Shaun Hemsley gave the Islanders solid play in the post.
   "I thought our guys played their butts off right to the end," Arrow said. "It's good as a coach to see guys mature like that. But after that's all said and done, we're still learning that life on the road can be tough."
   Following the Atsbeha foul, Dain Ervin (15 points) hit both free throws to give Southwest Texas a 75-74 lead, which was extended to 77-74 after Kirkaldy was called for an intentional foul-the second one called on the Islanders Tuesday night and Kirkaldy's fifth.
   David Sykes made two free throws, then Ervin added another one when Hicks (who earlier was called for an uncharacteristic technical of his own) picked up his fifth foul of the game. That essentially quashed any hope of a late A&M-Corpus Christi comeback.
   "This was a game that you just want to get out of here with a win," Bobcats coach Dennis Nutt said. "We played well, and we kept our heads down the stretch. That was key in a game like this."



Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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