At the Time, There Was Still a Chance : Women’s semifinal: After confusion, Virginia’s plea is rewarded with 0.8 seconds for a futile try to win.

In the chaos that erupted at the end of Saturday’s Stanford-Virginia game--or what many in the Sports Arena crowd and at least one game official believed was the end of the game--Virginia guard Dawn Staley ran off the court, chasing Douglas Cloud, one of the two officials.

Cloud had only moments before signaled to an incredulous Staley that the game, and her college career, were over. It was not information Staley was willing to accept. As Cloud loped off the court, and as fans and photographers spilled on, Staley went one-on-one with the official, shouting to his back that there was still “Time, time!”

In the confusion that followed, NCAA officials ruled that Virginia had called for a timeout before the game expired. They put 0.8 seconds back on the clock. Which is not to say that calm was restored. That didn’t happen until well after Stanford had won the NCAA semifinal game, 66-65.

The uncertainty began with, typically, a play involving Staley. The Cavaliers’ All-American had the ball or was near it when the outcome of the game was in question. She made a twisting layup with 11 seconds to play to bring Virginia to within one point.

Four seconds later, Kate Paye of Stanford missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity, and the loose ball was pursued by Staley and most of the Stanford team. Staley dived for the ball and managed to toss it to teammate Melanee Wagener, who frantically signaled for time out.

Staley had signaled and verbally called for time, but Cloud, who heard nothing but the game horn, put up his hands to the wildly gesticulating Staley and ran off the court.

However, the other official, Bob Trammell, had seen the timeout signal and had blown his whistle to stop the clock. But had he done it before or after time expired?

Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said she knew.

“I heard the whistle, then I heard the horn,” she said. “I didn’t think the game was over. I hoped it was, but it wasn’t.”

VanDerveer said she thought that in the scramble to grab the ball that Staley had been fouled. Staley said she thought she might have been, but wasn’t sure.

Trammell, who had blown the whistle, then looked at the clock, said he thought there were 0.8 seconds to play. Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said she thought there were 1.8 seconds left.

Once Cloud came back on the court, the officials huddled and, without watching a video replay of the sequence, put time on the clock. The ball was awarded to Virginia.

In the Virginia huddle, Ryan said Staley would take the game’s final shot. Wagener inbounded the ball to Staley, who was about 26 feet from the basket. She got off an off-balance shot, but not before time expired.

The ball bounced off the glass, and the game was, finally and irrevocably, over.

Stanford’s band fired up the fight song, the players jumped and swarmed, and in the stands the Cardinal fans shook pompons.

Staley, a senior, doubled over on the far end of the court, head in her hands. “Had she been in pain?” someone asked her, whispering in the stony silence of the Virginia locker room.

“I was just hurt,” Staley replied quietly, referring to an injury of the spirit rather than body. “I wasn’t thinking about anything. I didn’t want my career to end this way.”