Louisiana and Little Rock were tied at 64 late in a tight Sun Belt game when a foul on Little Rock’s number 8 gave Louisiana a chance to take control. The player hit both free throws to put Louisiana up by two. Little Rock missed a chance to tie, then each team burned a timeout. Louisiana had a shot to seal it with a three but threw up an airball. With 13 seconds left, Little Rock had one final possession.
That’s when things got weird. A Louisiana fan tossed his kid in celebration, and the arena operator jumped the gun, flashing the victory lights before the game ended. The play kept going, and Little Rock got off a contested three at the buzzer. It missed, but their coach was furious. He believed the victory lights affected the final play. He shouted at the refs, especially one with slicked-back hair, yelling that you can’t do that in a tight game. The arena staff triggered the lights again, this time after the actual win, but the damage was done.
The Little Rock coach tried to calm down but kept going. His assistants and players tried to pull him away, but he stayed on the court to vent. One cop tried to lead him off, triggering another outburst. It ended with the coach storming off as a group of kids watched in stunned silence. Given how the end unfolded, he probably had a point. The premature victory lights made a mess of the final few seconds.