Here’s where Chicago State stands at the end of the regular season heading into Saturday’s game against Stonehill:
It was essentially a no-win situation for Stonehill, which needed to somehow steal the ball and get a shot on goal in less than the blink of an eye. The winning probability chart will most likely show 100%.
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However……
The game ended in an 85-82 Stonehill victory after Chicago State made a historic mistake and called a timeout on an inbounds attack. Chicago State ran out of any timeouts, though, meaning Stonehill would receive an automatic technical foul and receive two free throws.
Herman Coffey hit two free throws to send the game into overtime.
A lot of people still like to quote Chris Webber when mistakes like this happen, but this goes far beyond calling a timeout when you’re trapped and trailing by two points. All Chicago State had to do was pass the ball to a defender who didn’t have a shot, and someone was still unsure of the inbounds play.
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The mistake erased what should have been a cathartic victory for Chicago State, which is now 2-14 and 0-4 in Northeast Conference play. Junior guard Doyel Cockrill III stole the ball in transition and hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left to give the Cougars a two-point lead.
Chicago State was ranked No. 354 in the Kenpom ratings entering Saturday, and the loss to No. 346 Stonehill didn’t help. The Cougars’ two wins this season came against Loyola Chicago and NAIA program St. Xavier.