Chicago State loses game on all-time timeout blunder with 0.1 seconds left

Here is the situation Chicago State found itself in at the end of regulation in its game against Stonehill on Saturday:

• Up by two points

• 0.1 seconds left

• Possession of the ball

It was basically an unwinnable situation for Stonehill, which needed to somehow steal the ball and get a shot off in less than the blink of an eye. A win probability graphic could very well have read 100%.

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And yet…

The game ended as an 85-82 Stonehill win after an all-time blunder from the Chicago State side, which called a timeout on an inbounds play. Chicago State did not have any timeouts left, though which meant an automatic technical foul and two free throws for Stonehill.

Hermann Koffi made both free throws, which sent the game to overtime.

Plenty of people still like to reference Chris Webber when this sort of blunder happens, but this goes well beyond calling a timeout while trapped and down by two. All Chicago State had to do was pass the ball into a defender who wasn’t in the process of shooting, and someone still wasn’t sure about the inbounds play.

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The error erased what would have been a cathartic win for Chicago State, which is now 2-14 and 0-4 in Northeast Conference play. Junior guard Doyel Cockrill III had made a 3-point with five seconds left to give the Cougars that two-point lead, after stealing the ball on a chaotic play in transition.

Chicago State was 354th in the Kenpom ratings entering Saturday, and a loss to Stonehill, which comes in at 346th, won’t help that effort. The Cougars’ two wins this season are against Loyola Chicago and St. Xavier, an NAIA program.