Breanna Stewart said officials told her the New York Liberty did not have a reset timeout to use at the end of overtime in Wednesday's loss at Atlanta, even though the team did have one. Stewart, a two-time WNBA MVP, said the Atlanta Dream took a 2-0 series lead with a 101-98 overtime win, placing them one win away from the WNBA Finals. She recounted asking crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens and referee Kevin Fahy whether the team had a reset timeout, and said she was told no.
Crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens disputed this in a pool report, saying Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese's penalty free throws that New York did have a reset timeout remaining. Liberty coach Chris De Marco said multiple staff members were told the team had no timeout, adding, "We've got to demand more." Dream coach Karl Smesko said he believed the Liberty had a timeout left. The Liberty have made an official inquiry with the league, a source told ESPN.
The controversy overshadowed a late stretch in which Sabrina Ionescu inadvertently threw the ball out of bounds while driving with less than 10 seconds left in overtime. Ionescu took responsibility, saying, "This loss is on me." Earlier, a defensive breakdown had given Naz Hillmon an open layup with 20.8 seconds remaining, producing the Dream's go-ahead basket. Angel Reese made both free throws to put Atlanta up three, and Stewart's last-ditch heave fell short.
Cissoko-Stephens said available timeouts are tracked by the scorer's table and statistical staff, but that teams are responsible for managing and tracking their own timeout usage throughout the game.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing