WNBA Approves Use of Instant Replay
"There are times when last-second plays occur that it is not possible to determine whether the play took place before time expired," said Tracy Ellis-Ward, WNBA Director of Basketball Operations. "In these circumstances, we felt it was important to give our officials the assistance of instant replay to ensure the correct call is made."
The NBA used instant replay for the first time for the 2002-03 season. The WNBA system will mirror the NBA's.
Instant replay reviews will be conducted and processed in two minutes or less by the game officials. The call made during play will only be reversed when the replay provides the officials with a "clear and conclusive" basis to do so.
Instant replay review will be triggered automatically -- and not at the discretion of the officials or teams -- in the following situations:
FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPTS
Once replay is triggered in either of these situations, the officials will review instant replay to determine whether time on the game clock had expired before the ball left the shooter's hand. If the shot was timely, the officials may also review tape to determine if the field goal was scored correctly as a two-point or three-point basket, whether the shooter committed a boundary line violation when she released the ball and whether a 30-second clock or 10-second backcourt violation occurred before the shot.
FOULS
In these situations, officials will review instant replay to determine only whether the called foul occurred prior to the expiration of time on the game clock and not whether the call itself was correct.
