The NCAA was forced to make an officiating change at halftime of No. 3 NC State’s 64-45 win over No. 14 Chattanooga in the first round of the 2024 NCAA women's tournament on Saturday.
According to the NCAA, umpire Tommi Paris was removed from her spot on the court because of a “background conflict.” According to the NCAA’s statement, Paris should never have been working the game in the first place.
“There was a switch of game officials at halftime of the Chattanooga-NC State first-round game because it was learned after the game had started that Umpire 2 Tommi Paris had a background conflict that, if known, would prevent her from working that assigned game,” the NCAA’s statement said.