The New York Liberty's Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night was marred by a late-game officiating controversy that has Breanna Stewart fired up.
Stewart, who poured in 35 points in the overtime thriller, said after the game that the officials failed to inform the Liberty they had a reset timeout available in the extra period. That timeout could have allowed New York to set up a better final shot instead of scrambling for a game-tying attempt that never materialized.
"This is not blaming the refs, but when I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout at the end, and they tell us no, and then we leave the game with the reset timeout, it's pretty frustrating," Stewart told reporters, via ESPN. "I asked Kevin [Fahy]. I said, 'Do we have a reset timeout?' And he said, 'I'm going to check at the table.' So then he looked to [crew chief] Fatou [Cissoko-Stephens], and she said, 'No.' So then he told me, 'No.'"
The Liberty's head coach, Chris DeMarco, echoed Stewart's frustration, saying the officials never informed his team of the reset timeout. However, he stopped short of blaming the loss solely on the officiating.
"I do think we came with the right mindset," DeMarco said. "We were physical. Not blaming anybody. End of the day, we had our chances. They had a layup late. We missed a few rebounds we could have come up with, but the series is not over. The series is not over, and we believe in ourselves, and we believe in this team going forward."
Adding another layer to the drama, the league's pool report from Wednesday night tells a different story. According to crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, the Liberty were indeed informed they had a timeout remaining.
"Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese's penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining," the report read.
The WNBA is likely to review the situation, but that won't change the result. The Liberty now trail the series 2-0 and face elimination in Game 3 on Friday.
The Dream were powered by Angel Reese and Jordin Canada, who combined for 46 points, while Rhyne Howard added 18 despite a rough shooting night. The Liberty, meanwhile, got a heroic effort from Stewart, but it wasn't enough to overcome the officiating confusion.
This isn't the first time officiating has been a hot topic in the playoffs, and it echoes complaints about preferential treatment in other sports. For the Liberty, the focus now shifts to survival.
Game 3 is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, and New York will need to win to keep their season alive. With Stewart leading the charge, they certainly have the firepower to do it, but they'll need to overcome the mental toll of a controversial loss.
The Dream, meanwhile, are one win away from advancing, and Reese's confidence is soaring after another strong performance. The series has been physical and intense, and Friday's matchup promises to be another classic.
