Waves Lose on Disputed Foul Call

Going into Saturday night’s basketball game against Pepperdine, the University of San Francisco had lost all 13 of its West Coast Athletic Conference road games over the past two seasons.

Going out, the Dons were 1-13.

But if there was any skin left on the teeth of USF’s players it wasn’t showing. Mark McCathrion missed the first of two free throw attempts with no time left on the clock after a foul call that was disputed even between the referees.

But McCathrion made the second foul shot, and the Dons escaped with a 78-77 victory over the Waves (10-16 overall, 5-8 in the WCAC) before 1,450 fans at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

McCathrion had scored a three-pointer to give the Dons (15-11, 5-8) a 75-72 lead with 1:16 left. But with just 12 seconds left, Pepperdine’s Craig Davis tied it, 77-77, on another three-pointer.

Before the final buzzer sounded, McCathrion grabbed a rebound of a missed USF shot and was fouled, while shooting, by Pepperdine’s Mike Cumberland.

At least that was the call made by one official, who was standing on the other side of the half-court line.

After that official called the foul, it appeared that another, who was standing underneath the USF basket, tried to overrule his colleague. But the official who made the original call stuck by his decision.

McCathrion finished with a game-high 26 points. Eric White led Pepperdine with 22.