Triangle women’s hoops roll call: Officiating controversy headlines the weekend

Courtney Banghart stood just outside the North Carolina huddle as the final buzzer neared and faced a nearby referee.

She held up her hands to form the numbers 21 and 0, a silent testament to the free throw disparity for the No. 22 Tar Heels in its 72-68 loss to No. 9 Duke on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Tar Heels poured in 46 points in the paint — more than double Duke’s total (22) — and made seven more field goals than the Blue Devils. And yet, UNC attempted zero free throws, only the third time this century an ACC team has gone an entire game without a trip to the line, per ESPN Insights.

Banghart called it a “treasure” of a game and repeatedly said she was “fascinated” in a postgame interview that, at times, felt reminiscent of Mike Krzyzewski’s “amazing” remarks. Coach K’s comments followed a perceived no-call in a loss to Syracuse at Cameron 10 years ago. Banghart’s comments were an attempt to avoid a fine while calling attention to what she felt was the “one category” that was “the difference in the game.”

“I have no choice but to process it,” Banghart said, referring to the foul disparity. “I know Lanie (Grant) landed on her (bottom) when she took a 3-point shot. I know Ciera (Toomey) will probably be out (Monday) because she’s been beaten up.”

With 4:41 left in the fourth quarter, frustration boiled over for Indya Nivar. Duke senior guard Ashlon Jackson hit the hardwood to draw a charge on Nivar, who then spiked the ball in anger, resulting in a technical foul.

“She spiked the ball, it went like 12 feet,” Banghart said. “A technical foul for that in this type of environment feels a little aggressive, but whatever. I’m sure she was frustrated. We kept saying, ‘Keep going inside. The math will math as long as you’re going through hips, you’re going through chest.’ I’m sure she was tired of hearing me say that and having it not (happen). There’s a lot of hands, so it’s hard for perimeter players.”

Duke coach Kara Lawson also provided her perspective on the lack of calls for UNC, saying “I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t think our defense was that good.”

“They were getting layups, and there were none of our players near them,” Lawson added. “So there wasn’t really a foul to be called, because we were doing such a bad job. You guys saw the game. Transition, wide-open layups, drives, helps, dump-offs for layups — we weren’t contesting anything. So if you aren’t contesting anything, there’s no foul. There’s just an open layup.”

The contest Sunday featured 16 lead changes, but Duke’s veteran backcourt steadied the Blue Devils down the stretch. On their Senior Day, Jackson and Taina Mair each scored 14 points — 18 of their combined 28 points coming in the second half — with Mair also adding seven rebounds and seven assists. Jackson and Mair combined for five steals, including a pair in the final six minutes.

Timeout: a review on officiating controversies

Sunday’s game highlights a broader and ongoing conversation in women’s college basketball about officiating, consistency and how physical play is monitored — especially at the P4 and ACC level.

Last March, an investigation by The Athletic described the sport as being at a “crisis moment,” pointing to high-profile games where officiating inconsistencies frustrated players, coaches, and fans alike. Officiating issues at the pro level reached a breaking point this summer when WNBA star Napheesa Collier publicly called league leadership “negligent” and accused the league of self-sabotage in its handling of refs and overall governance in a fiery exit interview.

With many WNBA officials relying on college assignments to make a living, given the short length of the pro season, the lines between professional and collegiate officiating blur.

“I feel every (WNBA) game I watch, there’s definitely a ref from the ACC,” Nivar told the N&O in the preseason. “And it’s just funny, because it seems like the WNBA players are allowed to react. We would want to react, but we can’t, because we have to control it, since we’re playing under the institution, right? They have the freedom to express how they feel about calls.”

Jackie Carson, the senior vice president of ACC women’s hoops, manages the league’s women’s basketball officials. She said, in an interview with the N&O in October, that officiating has been a “huge topic” in the conference and across the Power 4 level.

“I do still think we have really good officiating,” Carson said. “Are there some things that need to be addressed and fixed? Yes. And I’m proud, I think we had six officials that are in the WNBA finals that are also on our ACC roster. So that lets you know that we have some of the best of the best on our roster.”

Carson outlined ongoing initiatives to improve officiating consistency, including Power 4 crew chief meetings, monitoring travel schedules for officials and incorporating in-game appeals.

Carson said improving consistency remains a top priority. Efforts are focused both within crews — making sure all three officials working a game interpret rules the same way — and across conferences, where different supervisors oversee a mix of power-conference and mid-major officials.

“Our officials, even though there’s always work to be done in every area, I think we need to push them and figure out ways to make their jobs easier,” Carson said. “I do think the new appeals (and) challenge in men’s and women’s basketball will make officiating stronger, from the standpoint of, even if it is a tough call at the end of the game, the coach now has to have some strategy instead of arguing that call.”

Fast break points

• Lawson will briefly step away from the Blue Devils after the ACC women’s tournament to lead Team USA at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico from March 11–17. She’ll return to Duke before the NCAA Tournament, with an assistant stepping into the lead role at Duke during her absence.

• N.C. State dropped its fourth ACC game Sunday, falling 79-67 at Notre Dame after a decisive second quarter put the Wolfpack in a 20-point halftime hole — their halftime largest deficit this season. The Wolfpack (17-8, 10-4 ACC) got 21 points from sophomore guard Zamareya Jones (her fifth 20-point game of the season) and had four players in double figures but surrendered 24 points off 22 turnovers. All-American Hannah Hidalgo recorded 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals and six assists for Notre Dame.

Upcoming games for the Triangle teams:

Thursday, Feb. 19: North Carolina at Virginia Tech – 6 p.m. ET (ACC Network) – Blacksburg, Va. NC State at Duke – 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) – Durham

Sunday, Feb. 22 Pitt at North Carolina – 12 p.m. ET (ACC Network) – Chapel Hill Duke at Clemson – 2 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN2) – Clemson, S.C. Syracuse at NC State – 2 p.m. ET (The CW) – Raleigh