“No evidence found:” ACC refutes Duke’s claims of ball error after blowout loss to FSU

The ACC is disputing claims from Duke Blue Devils’ women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson that the first half of Florida State vs. Duke was played with a men’s ball.

The No. 23 Seminoles (20-5, 9-3) beat No. 16 Duke (19-3, 9-2) by a 70-57 margin on January 29, a game in which the Blue Devils shot 19-72 (26.4%) from the field.

“Let me be clear: Florida State beat us. They beat us playing with a men’s ball in the first half and a women’s ball in the second half,” Lawson said after the game. “But I can’t say if we’d have played with a women’s ball in the first half and the second half that we would have won. But they can’t say that either.”

“We have concluded through our investigation that it was a men’s ball. The conference and Florida State is saying that it wasn’t.”

The conference on Friday, however, published a statement pushing back on the accusation from Lawson.

“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.”

Here’s a look at the ball in the second quarter and third quarter, respectively:

FSU, which currently sits at No. 3 in the conference after a blowout win over Wake Forest, has six games left in the regular season. The Seminoles face off against the Miami Hurricanes on the road on Feb. 12.