Pitt-Gonzaga Game Cancelled at Halftime Due to Court Conditions

Yeah, putting these kids out on the court for another 20 minutes might not be the best move.

9 Gonzaga and Pittsburgh in Okinawa, Japan, was cancelled at halftime on Friday due to floor safety issues. The Panthers grabbed a 37-35 halftime lead on a three-point play by Ryan Luther with 5.4 seconds remaining in the half, before officials gathered during intermission and elected to halt the contest. “We’re disappointed we can’t continue to play but that’s the situation we’re at”, he said. In fact, the floor was so slick that if anything referees probably endangered the players by not calling the game sooner.

Both Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Gonzaga coach Mark Few both made speeches to the crowd, which consisted mostly of marines stationed at the base. They slipped and fell so often that fans on both sides begged for the game to be stopped on social media and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas quipped on the broadcast, “It looks like an ice rink out there”.

Pitt’s James Robinson took a particularly nasty spill under the basket, smashing head-first into the court. The two teams came out for the start of the second half, George met with the two coaches and determined the court was too unsafe to play the second half. “Wanted to make sure we maintained a safe playing environment and because of the humidity and the slipping that occurred in the first half we wanted to exercise caution – which is why we came to the decision that we did”.

“They’re about as good as you can get in college basketball right now”, Dixon said of Gonzaga’s forwards, “there’s no question about it. They’re experienced”. We wished we could have finished this. “There’s no one tougher than you guys….You’re heroes to us and heroes to everyone back home”. “I just want you to know in the short time we’ve been here, the impact you’ve had on myself, my players, that’s something we’ll cherish for a long time”. Three years ago, a game between Ohio State and Marquette was canceled on the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier because it was too risky. He was the Panthers’ leading scorer and averaged nearly 14 points and six rebounds per game last season. It’s a worthwhile trip for both teams to get to experience so much military interaction, but in terms of the game, it’s a wasted trip and one the teams won’t get back.