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A disputed call near the end of his team’s 72-71 loss at Cal on Friday night caused Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry to lose his composure.
Shrewsberry charged off the floor in pursuit of referee Adam Flore as soon as the final horn sounded. Multiple players and staffers had to restrain Shrewsberry as the third-year Notre Dame coach continued to shout at Flore and point in his direction.
Flore became the target of Shrewsberry’s rage when he controversially awarded Cal the chance for a go-ahead four-point play in the final seconds.
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With Notre Dame leading by three and 9.9 seconds to play, Shrewsberry instructed the Fighting Irish to foul before Cal could attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. Notre Dame guard Logan Imes got the timing wrong, swiping at Cal guard Dai Dai Ames just before he rose and buried a transition 3-pointer from the left wing.
Flore initially ruled it an and-1 opportunity. Then the referees overturned that call and said the foul occurred before the shot. Then the referees huddled together once more and reversed the call a second time, deeming the basket good and sending Ames to the foul line to attempt the go-ahead free throw with 5.5 seconds remaining.
“I thought there was a foul going up,” Cal coach Mark Madsen told reporters after the game. “I saw the official signal it. They conversed a couple times and they allowed it. There’s so much emotion in that gym, for the officials, for me, for the other team. I was grateful Dai Dai rose up and made the shot and I was grateful Dai Dai had the maturity and the huge presence of mind and the composure to knock down the free throw.”
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After Ames sank the go-ahead foul shot, Notre Dame had one final chance to win, but Braedon Shrewsberry’s 3-point attempt clanked off the front rim.
It’s unclear what punishment Micah Shrewsberry will face, if any, for his behavior after the final buzzer. A Notre Dame spokesperson did not immediately return an email from Yahoo Sports seeking comment.
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