Bizarre fan behaviour costs college team basketball game
College basketball is massive in the US, but one fan might have taken things too far on Thursday.
The Georgia Bulldogs gifted Mississippi State a win when a fan hurled a stuffed toy onto the court.
The home team was already in trouble, with the game tied and just 0.5 seconds left on the clock.
Tied at 67 with 0.5 seconds left, Mississippi’s Quinndary Weatherspoon missed a free throw that would’ve given his team the lead, but the referees and players looked puzzled when a fan appeared to hurl a stuffed animal on the court in the shooter’s direction.
Georgia coach Tom Crean was so furious at his home crowd that he even grabbed the PA microphone and yelled at the crowd: “Stay with us. Don’t throw anything on the court.”
Mississippi State was awarded a technical free throw, and Weatherspoon, an 80.5 percent free throw shooter, hit it this time.
Tom Crean with a more direct way to handle a fan situation at Georgia. Grabbing the PA mic after someone throws a stuffed animal on the floor during a crucial moment of the game.
"Stay with us. Don't throw anything on the court." pic.twitter.com/W7cEWL4kc3— Dave Furst (@DaveFurst) February 21, 2019
After he purposely missed the final free throw, Georgia did not have enough time to get off a shot before the buzzer sounded.
Crean was miffed after the game that his team was slapped with the tech without a warning.
He thought maybe with one fewer free throw, Weatherspoon might have missed, and the game could’ve went to overtime.
“I’ve never seen that, not without a warning, and certainly not without an explanation,” Crean said, via The Indianapolis Star.
“The rule says you’ve got to be able to know who did it.”
The loss was a cruel blow for the Bulldogs, who have won just a solitary game from 12 tries this season.