What's it like to play without a shot clock? Players from Marshall and West Virginia found out Wednesday night at the Charleston Civic Center.
When the teams came out for the second half, the 35-second shot clock on West Virginia's end went dead. Players from both teams warmed up on the same side of the court while officials lowered the basket and examined the clock. After some poking and prodding, it was determined the device simply wasn't going to work.
Time of the delay: 12 minutes.
In the interest of fairness, the clock at the Thundering Herd end was turned off and public address announcer Don Cook announced the time as it ticked down, starting at 20 seconds, again at 15 and 10, and then each second after 10 for possessions of the second half.
Officials recently put in a new scoring system at a cost of $72,000 and it worked for six games before breaking down Wednesday.
The problem with the clock remains a mystery.
"We're trying to ascertain what the mechanical problems were related to," said Jack Robertson, the general manager for the civic center. "We don't know at this particular time what happened. We're trying to investigate that."
West Virginia won, 87-76.
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