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ACC refutes claim by Duke that men's basketball was used in FSU women's win over Blue Devils

On3 imageby: Corey Clark02/03/23Corey_Clark
On3 image
(Courtesy of FSU Sports Information)

It was a pretty wild and confusing Friday morning in the world of ACC women’s basketball.

Duke coach Kara Lawson, whose team lost to Florida State, 70-57, in Tallahassee on Sunday, said after her Thursday night game against Pitt that the Blue Devils and Seminoles played the entire first half of their game against each other with a men’s basketball.

Men’s basketballs are about an inch larger in circumference and two ounces heavier than women’s basketballs.

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Lawson said after her team’s win over Pitt that the first half against Florida State was, “embarrassing for our sport. … That would never happen in a men’s game.”

She said her players complained about the ball multiple times in the first half — a half in which the Blue Devils shot just 7-of-34 from the field.

“To have a game that, at the end of the season, could be the difference between a seed, between a title, my players don’t deserve that and neither do their players,” Lawson said. “It’s a complete failure. And you can figure out who the people I’m talking about that failed the sport and our players and both teams.”

Duke shot 12-of-38 in the second half.

Meanwhile, Florida State was 10-of-30 from the floor in the first half and 14-of-31 in the second. The Seminoles outscored the Blue Devils 30-22 in the first half and 40-35 in the second.

*ALSO SEE: One To Remember: FSU women trounce No. 16 Duke on Sue Semrau’s special day

The Florida State women are currently 20-5 overall and 9-3 in the ACC. Duke, which is in a tie for first place in the league, is 19-3 overall and 9-2 in the conference.

The ACC released a statement on Friday morning saying that it found no evidence of the two teams playing with the wrong ball.

“Upon completion of the game, the conference office was made aware of the allegation and immediately conducted a comprehensive review. This included discussion with all parties involved, including game officials, game administrators, table crew and both schools. Following the thorough and objective review process, there was no evidence found to support the claim. Per NCAA playing rules, there is no appeal or protest process. The conference continues to prioritize and support our nearly 10,000 student-athletes in a world-class manner and conduct its 27 sponsored sports with the utmost integrity. The conference office considers this matter to be closed and will have no further comment.”

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