The New York Liberty trail 2-0 in the WNBA semifinals after a 101-98 overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena, according to Yahoo Sports. A disputed timeout rule in the final seconds of the extra period subsequently overshadowed the outcome, as detailed by Fox News.
Timeout Confusion Eclipses Game 2 Defeat
Atlanta’s Angel Reese sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Dream a three-point advantage, as reported by NBC Sports. The Liberty inbounded from under their own basket instead of taking a reset timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt, forcing Breanna Stewart to heave a desperate, off-balance 32-foot jump shot that fell short.
Breanna Stewart Claims Referees Denied Reset Timeout
Liberty forward Breanna Stewart addressed reporters after the final buzzer to explain why her team did not advance the ball, stating that she had directly consulted the officiating crew on the floor.
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 a reset timeout, it’s pretty frustrating,
Stewart told reporters, according to Sports Illustrated.
Stewart approached referee Kevin Fahy during the stoppage for Reese’s free throws. Fahy told her he would check with the table, subsequently spoke with crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, and then informed Stewart that the team had no timeouts remaining. Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco also indicated that staff members were told by officials that the team lacked a reset timeout, according to USA Today.
Karl Smesko admitted postgame that he was surprised New York did not stop play to move the ball up the court, noting that he believed the Liberty still held a timeout.
Pool Report Confirms Liberty Had Reset Timeout
Crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens addressed the controversy in a postgame pool report nearly two hours after the conclusion of Game 2. Cissoko-Stephens confirmed that WNBA rules grant each team one reset timeout in the final two minutes of any overtime period, and acknowledged that the Liberty did indeed have one remaining.
Cissoko-Stephens offered a different sequence of events regarding Stewart’s claim, stating that Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when Fahy confirmed with his partner between Reese’s penalty free throws that New York had a reset timeout left. The pool report further stated that there was no direct communication between the officials and the Liberty team bench, while emphasizing that available timeouts are tracked by the scorer’s table and statistical staff rather than the referees.
ESPN’s “NBA Today” broadcast footage captured Stewart turning toward Fahy and appearing to ask for a reset, though the broadcast clip did not show a clear response from the official. The Liberty have filed an official inquiry with the league.
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