The United States led by one point after two free throws with three seconds to go in the gold medal game. On the ensuing inbounds pass, the referees stopped play with one second left after the Soviets furiously argued that they had called a timeout between the two free throws. The referees allowed the USSR to inbound the ball again, and again the USA stopped them at the buzzer. However, due to a timekeeping error, Russia was given a third chance to inbound the ball. A length-of-the-court pass and a layup finally gave the Soviets the highly controversial win.