UCLA WOMEN ROBBED BY REFS.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

The NCAA said Monday that referees in the Division I women's basketball tournament game between UCLA and the University of Alabama on Sunday made mistakes that cost the Bruins a second-round win.

Referees Jack Riordan, Robert Strong and Lolly Saenz - who did not call an illegal inbounds pass or rule the game clock, with 0.8 seconds remaining, started late - will not officiate games for the remainder of this year's tournament.

``It was a huge mistake,'' said Marcy Weston, national coordinator for women's basketball officiating. ``Every referee you know has made mistakes, but this was a big one. I've been involved in officiating for 30 years, and you cannot miss a call in the last 15 seconds of the game. You can miss anywhere else, and there's still time to redeem yourself. But when you miss at the end, it's huge. This is especially huge because it affected the outcome of the game.''

UCLA led 74-73 with 0.8 seconds to play when Alabama, which had possession of the ball after a missed free throw by UCLA's Maylana Martin, called a timeout. By NCAA rules, Alabama's inbounds pass should have been thrown from a spot designated by officials. Instead, Riordan told Alabama guard Brittney Ezell she could run the baseline on the inbounds pass. Players can run the baseline only after a made basket or free throw.

Once in the court, the ball was touched by UCLA's Erica Gomez and Alabama's Dominique Canty before deflecting to the Tide's Latoya Caudle, who banked in a shot from the top of the key for the winning basket. However, video replays show the clock did not start until Caudle held the ball instead of when the ball was first touched.

Weston said Alabama's inbounds violation was not correctable, according to NCAA rules. If called, the ball would have been turned over to UCLA. The clock's late start, however, could have been fixed if referees stayed on the court, watched the video replay and decided to reverse their decision. But the referees left the floor as soon as the game ended, a not-unusual practice, said UCLA associate athletic director Betsy Stephenson.

``Once the officials leave the floor, their jurisdiction is over, and the score is final,'' Weston said. ``They could've fixed it before they left, but they didn't see any reason to fix it because they didn't know (the clock) didn't start (on time).''

The NCAA rule book does not contain a protest provision, but Stephenson said UCLA has submitted a letter of protest to various NCAA committees and hopes rules relating to the use of video replay will be altered.

UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said her team stayed in Alabama's Coleman Coliseum nearly two hours after the game to see whether the referees would overturn their decision. Weston, who was at her Michigan home during the game, said a member of the NCAA staff called her to check their options. Weston said they had none.

``I can't turn it around, I don't make those decisions,'' Weston said. ``I'm sure it will be reviewed in this summer's rules meeting. It's going to be discussed. But right now, it's a done deal. There's no provision currently in place that would allow anything to be changed.''

Another point of concern for UCLA is the timekeeper, 77-year-old Doc Blanchard, who has worked Alabama games for 50 years.

Calls to Blanchard's home in Alabama by the Daily News were not returned.

``The hardest part is the decision for our season came down to the opinion of the timekeeper at Alabama,'' said UCLA senior guard Jamie Oenning. ``If timekeepers and scorekeepers can make official decisions, they should be neutral. I'm not mad at him. The thing is, the resources exist to correct mistakes, and (officials) chose not to use them.

``It's hard to end my career this way, there's no sense of closure. It overshadows the fact that we beat Alabama at Alabama legitimately. Alabama's now in the Sweet 16, and we're at home. It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth, a sick feeling.''

Oenning's sense of frustration has filtered to ex-UCLA players. Natalie Williams, a former Bruins basketball and volleyball star who led the Portland Power to the American Basketball League Western Conference title this season, said she will return six NCAA awards she won while at UCLA unless the group's women's basketball committee reverses the game's outcome.

Olivier said she is saddened for the UCLA seniors whose collegiate careers ended Sunday night and for the sport of women's basketball.

NCAA responds

Statement issued Monday by Jean Lenti Ponsetto, chairwoman of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee and senior associate director of athletics at De Paul University:

``The ending of this game was an unfortunate and regrettable situation. It is unfortunate when the outcome of the game is influenced by factors other than the participants on the floor.

``After reviewing the tape of the game with Marcy Weston, national coordinator of women's basketball officiating, it is apparent that officiating mistakes were made. Clearly, the officials failed to call the violation on the endline when the student-athlete moved from the throw-in spot. However, by rule, that is not a correctable error. Clearly also, if the officials thought a timing error had been made, they could have reviewed the tape before they left the floor to determine if a correctable error had been made. They did not. Once they leave the floor, by rule, their jurisdiction ends, the game is over and the score stands.

``We cannot replay the last .8 seconds of the game. The results of the game will stand. Basketball games are not played in a vacuum. Human beings are involved, and human beings make mistakes. When that happens, the results can be calamitous to the losing team. All of us who have spent our lives in sports know that and can empathize with the UCLA coaches and players. Officials want to call mistake-free games, and game administrators want to carry out their assignments without influencing the outcome.

``We will redouble our efforts to instruct officials and game administrators on the importance of their positions. The officials in this game will not be used further in the 1998 tournament.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) UCLA women's basketball coach Kathy Olivier is stunned by Sunday's loss, which the Bruins are protesting.

Box: NCAA responds (See Text)