CCAA Basketball Tournament : Chapman Is Frustrated in a 68-65 Defeat : Wilson Infuriated by Questionable Calls as Dominguez Hills Prevails

SAN LUIS OBISPO â€”  Chapman College’s bid for a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. basketball title ended abruptly amid controversy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday afternoon.

The Panthers’ first appearance in the tournament lasted less than two hours, a 68-65 loss to nemesis Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The debate over the final 30 seconds of the game probably will last a lot longer.

The questionable plays:

--Dominguez led, 66-65, with 26 seconds remaining. After a Chapman timeout, Panther Chris Perine’s shot was blocked by Brian Edwards. Both went for the ball and collided, and the foul was called on Perine, his fourth. Edwards then made the front end of a one-and-one. Dominguez Hills led, 67-65.

--After Edwards missed the second free throw with 11 seconds left, Alan Erickson rebounded for Chapman. Erickson threw an outlet pass to Perine, who ran into Vico Nomaaea. Or you could say Nomaaea blocked Perine’s path at midcourt. The referee saw it the first way, and the Toros took possession with seven seconds remaining.

This left Chapman’s players looking up in despair, and Coach Kevin Wilson pounded on the press row table in disgust.

In the waning seconds, Chapman’s Jim Saia fouled Tony Akins, who made the first free throw for the final margin: Dominguez Hills 68, Chapman 65.

Afterward, Wilson sought out CCAA Commissioner Tom Morgan in the corridor behind the visitors’ locker room and voiced his displeasure with the calls.

Wilson pointed out to Morgan that a referee whom he had requested not work his conference games, Jim Patterson, was the one who had “blown those two calls.�

Morgan started walking away and then told Wilson to start acting professionally. Wilson replied that he didn’t need to be told how to act.

Said Morgan, still walking away: “You (bleep).�

Later, Wilson said he had known that Patterson might be scheduled to work the game.

During the regular season, each team has the option of crossing one referee off the list of those working CCAA games. However, that option does not include the playoffs or nonconference road games. In fact, Patterson worked the Chapman-Loyola Marymount game in January.

After talking with his players, Wilson shrugged when asked about the questionable calls.

“It’s what happens when you get into championship play,� he said. “Games are close, and it comes down to little things. And I won’t hide it, I clearly feel that . . .�

Wilson paused. “Things get magnified at the end of a game,� he said. “When someone misses a foul shot in the first minute and a half, you kind of settle back in your chair. But when you miss them with three seconds left and the game is tied, it’s a big free throw.�

Of the first questionable call, on Perine’s run-in with Edwards, Wilson said: “I felt we ran the play we wanted and got the ball to a good, post-up, strong muscular player. From where I was sitting, I thought we had it.�

On the second call, on Perine’s collison with Nomaaea, he said: “I felt again that Chris had the ball and he was turning and the guy was right there when they made contact. The rule is, as I hear it, the guy who has momentum going in one direction, you have to give the guy a step.�

Dominguez Hills Coach Dave Yanai, whose team raised its record to 21-7 and will play Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in today’s championship game, said he would have prefered a clear-cut ending.

“Of course, close calls occur throughout the ballgame,� he said. “You really do hate to see something like that happen at the end. You’d rather have it end up where they get a clean shot or rebound. But it’s all part of the game.�

Yanai said that of the three meetings between the teams this season, Friday’s was the toughest. Unlike the previous two, the Panthers (15-14) held the Toros’ offense in check. Senior forward William Alexander, who had scored a total of 51 points against the Panthers in the previous two meetings, was held to 12.

Anthony Blackmon picked up the slack for Dominguez Hills, finishing with a game-high 19 points. Jon Samuelson led Chapman with 15 points, Karl Tompkins added 13 and Perine and Dave Roth each had 10.

The Panthers, who led, 33-32, at the half, outrebounded the Toros, 42-27.

“We thought if we were going to win or they were going to win, it would be within five points,� Wilson said. “And it was. We just didn’t get the opportunity to make it at the end.�