[JeeberD]

The Miners got hosed twice in the final three seconds of overtime in Santa Clara. First, when SC called a time-out when they had none left and weren't charged with a technical (the ref later apologized for his mistake), and then when SC center John Bryant knocked over a Miner defender on what turned out to be the game winning basket...

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11341456

"John Bryant bulled his way to a layup with seven-tenths of a second remaining in overtime to lift Santa Clara to a controversial 89-88 victory over Texas-El Paso and the Cable Car Classic title on Tuesday at the Leavey Center.

With the Broncos trailing 88-87 in the final seconds, Bryant missed a short layup that would have given SCU the lead.

After a tie-up on the rebound, UTEP was awarded possession. But James Rahon intercepted the subsequent inbounds pass with 2.3 seconds left, and as the freshman cradled the ball along the baseline, referee Thomas Wood awarded SCU a timeout.

The problem was that the Broncos were out of timeouts and, Rahon and Coach Kerry Keating insisted after the game, they never asked for it.

"Our entire team was very clear that we had no timeouts left," Keating said. "I saw James trying to get his balance, so he didn't travel. He knew he had a little bit of time left and was sure he was going to make a move to the basket. And then the whistle blew.

"I certainly didn't call a timeout. I know James didn't — he had the ball. "... I'm not going to try to justify why it happened. It happened."

So instead of the Miners (7-5) attempting two game-sealing free throws for a Broncos technical foul, SCU inbounded the ball to Bryant, who pushed his 6-foot-11, 275-pound frame through three defenders to the basket. As Miners players celebrated, believing Bryant was guilty of a charge, the SCU star was
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awarded the basket and a free throw. He missed the free throw, but the Miners' desperation full-court heave fell well short at the buzzer to end the first overtime championship game in the tournament's 42-year history.

The scene was markedly different on the UTEP side of the court. Miners Coach Tony Barbee said, "I've never felt so violated in my life." He said he believed both Keating and Rahon called a timeout.

Barbee added, "What do you expect on the road?"

Immediately after the whistle, Wood told both benches, "I made a mistake." The officiating crew, a local group of West Coast Conference and Pacific-10 Conference officials, left the arena without making themselves available to the media. SCU media relations officials referred all inquiries to the WCC office.

The wild finish didn't dampen SCU's enthusiasm for its first Cable Car title since 2005 and its 15th overall. The Broncos (7-7) have won two in a row heading into a weekend trip to Harvard and New Hampshire.

"I know Tony and respect him and understand the frustration, but things happen. We're just fortunate that we were able to win," Keating said. "It's part of human error, part of the game. But John still was able to execute a play after all that, John still had to put the ball in the basket. That's senior leadership and go-to guy."

The extra session was required because UTEP's Stefon Jackson banked in a tying three-pointer with eight-tenths of a second remaining. Jackson finished with a career-high 44 points.

Bryant was named the tournament MVP.

In the consolation game, it was more frustration for Belmont, the marquee team in the field after reaching the NCAA tournament each of the past three seasons. One night after the Nashville-based school blew an 18-point halftime lead to the Broncos, the Bruins squandered a five-point lead in an 81-64 loss to James Madison.