Evening star., 1963-02-02
Terps Victory at Buzzer Leaves CIV Dizzy
CoIoniuIs
Felt Game
Was Over
BY DICK SLAY
Star staff Writer

yet George Washington's bas-
ketball coach was confounded
like the ordinary spectator last
night by the finish of the CIV
Maryland contest at Fort
Myer.
No one ever will be certain
that Scott Ferguson's tap-in
really was in the air when the
final buzzer sounded. Ferguson
himself is not sure that he was
the one who last touched the
ball.
But it was ruled thus: The
game ended as the ball was in
mid-journey through the net,
giving Maryland a 68-67 VIC
tory, and Ferguson credit for
sending the ball on its final,
brief trajectory.
1t was the 25th-and last
time the lead changed hands,
and 1t brought both benches
and much of the crowd of
$500 to the scorers table.
The officials, Charlie Eckman
and Joe Barrett, had not
heard the buzzer because of the
tumult.
Shut Buzzer Off
Eckman, the chief official,
asked the timekeeper when
the buzzer sounded. The time
keeper said the game ended as
the ball was headed toward the
basket. The buzzer goes off
automatically when time ex-
pires, but the timekeeper ad-
mitted he shut 1t off too
quickly, before very many in
the excited crowd heard it.
1t was a Maryland victory,
regardless, eliminating a hec-
tic last two minutes.
Starting the buildup, Mike
Checkan, who had started the
game for CIV but played less
than five minutes, returned to
the floor and sank a long
jump shot t ogive the Colonials
a 67-66 lead with 2:23 remain
ing.
Amazingly, the teams traded
possession six times without
scoring a point - including
missed foul shots for both
sides before Maryland took the
ball out of bounds in the front
court with 7 seconds remain
ing.
Millikan Wanted Speed
Bud Millikan, the Trips
coach, put Ferguson back in
the game at this juncture, after
having benched him in order
to get more speed to combat
GW's stalling.
Bill Stasiulatis tossed in to
Jerry Greenspan. who took a
couple Of steps and a jump shot
from the left side. The ball went
in and out and somebody
tapped it back up. That. too,
missed and leaping bodies un-
der the basket jabbed at the
ball a couple more times. When
the ball finally sank through
the net, the scoreboard showed
no time remaining and the
crowd converged on the scorers
table.
Ferguson said in the dressing
room that he thought" he was
the one who last touched the
ball, and Millikan chuckled on
being congratulated for send
ing his 6-foot-8 center back on
the floor with 7 seconds to go.
CIV Springs Zone
THE play was" Millikan
explained, for Greenspan to
come out for the ball with
Ferguson screening, but II he
had to come out too far, then
he would give back to Stasiu-
latis who would drive for the
shot"
CIV sprang a zone defense
for the first time and Green
span had to come out farther
than planned, but he still got
off the shot.
Reinhart. understandably,
was almost purple with indig-
nation at the decision on when
the final horn sounded, but he
later absolved the timekeeper
Of any blame. He claimed that
the trailing" official, Barrett,
should have had the clock and
the play lined up in his sight
so that he could determine
when the game ended, whether
he heard the buzzer or not.
"Oh, WE'LL" Reinhart sighed.
ITS just another way to lose
one"
Terp FrOsh ROmp
The loss left CIV with a 5-lO
record and a l-3 log In the
area Big Three struggle. Mary
land won its fifth game against
seven defeats and jumped TO a
2-l record in the Big Three.
, Georgetown, also 81. visits
Maryland Monday night to
settle the local issue.
The preliminary game last
night was as close as 4 points
! early I'm the caeond half haforo