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What does��goaltending mean?

In basketball, goaltending refers to a rules violation in which a player interferes with a shot by touching the ball on its downward flight to the basket or while it is over, on, or within the rim of the basket.The word goaltending can also refer to the act of being a goaltender, which in sports like ice hockey and lacrosse is another name for the goalkeeper. This is the player positioned in front of the goal whose job is to prevent the ball or puck from entering it (or crossing the goal line). (Basketball does not have a goaltender or goalkeeper position.)In basketball, when a player interferes with the ball in a certain way, the referee will call goaltending. Goaltending is often done accidentally by a defensive player trying to keep the ball from going in the basket. When the referee calls goaltending on a play like this, the basket will be counted as if the ball had gone in, and the offensive team will be awarded points for it.Goaltending can also be done by an offensive player who interferes with the ball in this way. In this case, the basket is not counted, and no points are awarded (even if the ball went in).The informal verb goaltend is sometimes used in basketball to refer to the action of goaltending, as in Don’t goaltend by hitting the ball on its way down. Goaltend is also informally used to refer to an instance of doing so or to the call made by the referee, as in She just got called for a goaltend.Example: The replay shows that he touched the ball on the way down, so they’re going to call this goaltending.