Kara Lawson: Men's ball was used in first half of Duke loss at Florida State
“This would never happen in a men’s game."
DURHAM, N.C. – After No. 16 Duke’s 53-44 home victory over Pitt on Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Blue Devils coach Kara Lawson didn’t leave her seat at the podium right away following the postgame press conference.
“I got one more thing to say,” Lawson said. And the assembled media turned their recorders back on.
Lawson then began to talk about how Duke’s game last Sunday – on Jan. 29 at Florida State – was played with a men’s ball in the first half. Lawson said her players had been complaining about the ball, so she dispatched assistant coach Winston Gandy to investigate at halftime.
Gandy went to the scorer’s table to look at the ball and he – a former NBA assistant with the Wizards – determined it was a men’s ball. Duke alerted the officials at the table that the ball needed to be changed, but they would not change the ball, according to Lawson. Duke alerted the head official – Joseph Vaszily – and he changed the ball. The second half of the game was played with a women’s ball.
“This would never happen in a men’s game,” Lawson said. “This just wouldn’t happen. And it's embarrassing for our sport.”
Both teams shot better in the second half – Duke by 11% and Florida State by 15%. Both teams also had less turnovers in the second half.
Florida State won 70-57. And four days later, Lawson was still incredibly irked by how the situation was handled. But she didn’t want it to be an excuse for why Duke lost in Tallahassee.
“Let me be clear: Florida State beat us,” Lawson said. “They beat us playing with a men’s ball in the first half and a women’s ball in the second half. But I can’t say if we’d have played with a women’s ball in the first half and the second half that we would’ve won. But (Florida State) can’t say that either.”
Women’s basketballs are about an inch smaller and two ounces lighter than men’s. In the ACC, the home team provides the basketball used for gameplay.
“It's very frustrating that a game that has so many conference implications, selection and seeding implications was not treated with the utmost respect that players on both teams deserve,” Lawson said. “Both teams are fighting for a title, both teams have had great seasons. And to do that for players is unacceptable.”
Heading into Thursday’s contests, first and fourth place in the ACC standings were separated by a single game. That group of four includes both Duke and No. 23 FSU.
Lawson said she tried to “appeal and protest” the Florida State result, but the ACC “would not allow” her to do that.
“It shouldn’t be this way,” Lawson said. “And to have a game that, at the end of the season, could be the difference between a seed, between a title – my players don't deserve that and neither do their players. It's a complete failure. And you can figure out who the people I'm talking about (are) that failed the sport, our players and both teams.
“The lack of accountability is striking. When you make a mistake, you own it and you own it right away. You don't pass the buck… A mistake was made here, and it’s a big one.”
After Lawson left the press conference, Duke sophomore guard Shayeann Day-Wilson answered questions at the podium. When asked about the incident at Florida State, she offered: “No comment.”
A spokesperson for Florida State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ACC released a statement Friday morning, refuting Lawson’s claim.
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