Liberty's season on brink after timeout error in Game 2 loss

Summarised from 2 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 9 Oct, 05:30 · Archive

The New York Liberty lost 101-98 to the Atlanta Dream in overtime, falling 2-0 down in the playoff series after officials incorrectly told them they had no reset timeout available.

The New York Liberty fell 101-98 to the Atlanta Dream in overtime on Wednesday night, trailing 2-0 in their best-of-five semifinal series. With Angel Reese on the free-throw line and 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime, Breanna Stewart asked official Kevin Fahy whether the Liberty had a reset timeout available. Fahy said he would check with the scorer's table; he then relayed that they did not have one. Stewart's final 3-pointer missed, and the Liberty's season moved onto life support.

After the game, the Liberty discovered they had retained a reset timeout and could have used it to advance the ball to the frontcourt and make substitutions on their final possession. Stewart had 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. She said: "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." Sabrina Ionescu and members of coach Chris DeMarco's staff also inquired about the reset timeout and claimed to have been told they did not have one.

Under WNBA rules, each team receives two team timeouts and one reset timeout during overtime. The league's pool report, however, indicated there was "no direct communication" between crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens and New York's staff about the reset timeout. The Liberty have made an official inquiry into the disputed call.

How it is being reported

• The WNBA timeout fiasco is an indictment on the referees — and the LibertyLiberty first-year coach Chris DeMarco and his staff made a rookie mistake.New York Post · 9 Oct, 01:20
• Liberty make official inquiry into reset timeout dispute after overtime loss to Dream in WNBA semifinalsBreanna Stewart says officials told the Liberty they had no reset timeout when they actually did, sparking an inquiry after Atlanta Dream's OT win.Fox News · 8 Oct, 23:00
• Will New York rally from 0–2 deficit vs. Dream? | Liberty LatelyA historic night from Breanna Stewart. A breakthrough performance from Marine Fauthoux. And another painful loss for the New York Liberty. On this episode of Liberty Lately, Dexter Henry breaks down New York’s 101–98 overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals. How did turnovers and missed opportunities derail the...New York Post · 8 Oct, 16:00
• Wild timeout controversy hangs over Liberty’s Game 2 loss that puts season on brinkThe Liberty, now trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five semifinals, learned after the game they had a reset timeout after all and could’ve advanced the ball on the final possession.New York Post · 8 Oct, 05:37
• Liberty suffer brutal OT loss to Dream to fall into 0-2 series holeGame 2 of the semifinals provided plenty of drama.New York Post · 8 Oct, 03:15
• Liberty see self-inflicted turnover problem as Game 1 culprit — but Dream star isn’t buying itThe Liberty watched the tape of their Game 1 loss and came away with a clear conclusion: Their third-quarter collapse was mostly self-inflicted.New York Post · 7 Oct, 01:55

In this story: New York Liberty · Atlanta Dream · Breanna Stewart · Kevin Fahy · Fatou Cissoko-Stephens · Angel Reese · Chris DeMarco · Sabrina Ionescu

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem