DURHAM, N.C. — While Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson is confident the first half of her team’s game at Florida State was mistakenly played with the larger basketball used for men’s games, the ACC issued a statement disputing that claim Friday morning.
In a press conference following her team’s 53-44 win over Pittsburgh at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday night, Lawson brought up Duke’s 70-57 loss at Florida State last Sunday. She explained how the wrong ball was used in the first half and, after Duke’s players complained to their coaches about the ball, a change was made at halftime after Duke’s staff pointed it out to the game officials.
“We alerted the head official to come and look at it,” Lawson said Thursday night. “He came and looked at it, and he changed the ball. We then played the second half with a women’s ball. It’s been very frustrating that at this level of basketball, that a mistake like that happens that could have impacted the outcome of the game.”
