Men’s Basketball: At the wire – Josh Brown didn’t expect it; Elfrid Payton either.

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Feb. 3, 2012

With the game tied 71-71 — and after Payton drove to the basket, put up a short shot and missed on a fastbreak with time expiring in OT — official Brad Stodghill tagged Denver’s Brett Olson with a foul.

Following a video review, 0.4 seconds was restored to the game clock and Payton was sent to the free-throw line.

"At first, when I missed (the layup), I was kind of disappointed," said Payton, who finished with 20 points to go with Brown’s 21-point, 10-rebound double-double.

"But Josh (Brown) came and told me I got fouled," Payton added, "so I’m like, ‘All right, got a chance.’ "

After a 30-second timeout, Payton made good on that first opportunity to put UL up by one.

And after another timeout the true freshman point guard missed the second — no harm done — to end a wild one that lifted the Cajuns to 13-11 overall and 7-3 in the Sun Belt Conference in front an announced 3,611.

The win moved UL out of a three-way tie with Denver (16-7, 6-4) and North Texas and alone into second place in the Sun Belt West Division, half-a-game behind leader Arkansas-Little Rock with six games — including a Saturday visit to Troy, and a Feb. 16 rematch at Denver — remaining in the Cajuns’ regular season.

It was a victory aided by a rare nine misses on 23 attempts from the free-throw line by the Pioneers, who went into the night as No. 2 foul-shooting team in the nation at 78.6 percent.

But it also was one boosted by the late-in-OT call, one which seemed to catch many in the building off-guard.

"I was surprised," said Brown, who got the ball up to Payton for the game-winning play off of a Royce O’Neale turnover with four seconds remaining in OT. "I was about to go for the rebound, and they said a foul, so I stopped. Thank God, man."

"I didn’t know immediately that "» they had called the foul," added Payton, who got grabbed by Olson as he went up. "I did feel I got fouled, but at the end of the game, sometimes they don’t make them calls."

Which was exactly Scott’s point.

Thursday’s officiating crew didn’t blow a whistle — when, arguably, it could have — in waning seconds of regulation.

After Raymone Andrews had tied the game at 67 by hitting two three-throws with 1:32 left in the second half, Denver missed three opportunities in physical action down low to force overtime.

In the crazy final few seconds of regulation, Kadeem Coleby blocked a short Chris Udofia jumper with eight to go, Olson rebounded and missed with six left, then O’Neale rebounded and missed again as bodies banged.

"I can’t debate the merits of the call — the actual call (in OT on Olson), and the time and all that. Whatever," Scott calmly said afterward.

"My point is the same calls were there to be had at the end of regulation and when my guy was driving and he lost the ball. It’s called ‘bumps.’ It’s called ‘contact.’

"And with 2.6 to go, 3 (seconds) to go, the ref doesn’t want to be the guy that decides the game. So you pass on that one. But then you find yourself deciding the game later on, you know?"

Scott made a passionate case for consistency in late-game calls.

"I’m not gonna debate whether it was a foul or not," he said. "I’m gonna debate the merits of the philosophy behind ‘there’s a consistency to it there.’

"And I just thought there was some inconsistency there. "» It’s unfortunate, because it was a great college basketball game."

The DU coach did say he thought the officials "did a job."

But, Scott said, "I’m going to say, though, there was a lack of consistency there at that juncture, and, unfortunately, it had a major say on the outcome of the game.

"And in life you’ve got to live with those things," he added. "Those things occur. That’s what I told my team."

UL coach Bob Marlin, whose Cajuns are riding a three-game victory streak and have won five of their last six, seemed to understand where Scott was coming from.

"I thought (Payton’s shot) was gonna roll in, and I’m thinking, ‘What an ending,’ " he said. "Then I’m thinking, ‘Oh, no, double-overtime.’

"Then I saw the foul called, and Coach Scott was upset. I would be, too, at the end of a game — because this was a heck of a college basketball game, as all of them have been with Denver in this building."

With its win, UL improved to 12-1 all-time against Denver at the Cajundome — an arena the Pioneers probably won’t be visiting again soon, since they are headed out of the Sun Belt and into the WAC next season.

"It’s sad," Marlin said, "that it had to end at the free-throw line."