Breanna Stewart Points to Costly Officiating Lapse After Liberty’s Overtime Heartbreak

The New York Liberty and Breanna Stewart supposedly received incorrect information in a crucial moment in their Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Dream.

Breanna Stewart Points to Costly Officiating Lapse After Liberty’s Overtime Heartbreak

Breanna Stewart (Image credits - Yahoo Sports)

Breanna Stewart is one of the most accomplished players in WNBA history. She has won almost everything there is to win in the league. However, even for someone with her experience, the New York Liberty committed a major blunder at the end of Game 2.

The Liberty came into the semifinals against Atlanta Dream high on confidence after knocking out the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. They eliminated the table-toppers by clean-sweeping them.

After a disappointing Game 1 loss, Stewart put in a monster performance in Game 2. Although they lost, the biggest talking point came in the final seconds of overtime. Down three on the final possession, the Liberty believed they were out of reset timeouts to advance the ball; hence, Stewart launched a desperation heave from beyond midcourt as time expired.

During her post-match press conference, Stewart questioned the officials, reportedly asking about the reset timeouts, and they told her the team had none left.

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. We would love to have some clarity on that situation.

Breanna Stewart in her post match press conference

The officials have been under the spotlight for some of their poor officiating in the playoffs this year. However, Wednesday night’s blunder was a huge one. It may have changed the outcome of the game, and possibly the series, as the Liberty find themselves 2-0 down heading into Game 3.

Official WNBA report contradicts Breanna Stewart’s claims over Liberty timeout

Without a doubt, Game 2 between the Dream and Liberty was one of the most engrossing games of the playoffs so far. And with every high-octane game comes drama and chaos. The game ended with a somewhat controversial finish.

While Breanna Stewart claimed to have asked the officials about the reset timeout, the official pool report paints a completely different picture. Crew Chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens insists refs confirmed the reset timeout was available.

There seems to have been some miscommunication between the two parties. Teams are responsible for managing their own timeout usage, as officials do not officially track them on the floor. Going forward, the league needs clearer communication protocols between the bench and the referee.

Unfortunately, the Liberty find themselves trailing 2-0. If they had taken a timeout, they might have gone back home with the series tied 1-1.

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Breanna Stewart made WNBA history, but to no avail

The confidence surrounding the Liberty was sky-high before Game 1. Not only did they take out the Lynx in the first round, they were also the winners of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup this year.

Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart (Image credits – ESPN)

Breanna Stewart had a passive performance in Game 1 but was an unstoppable force in Game 2. The three-time champion was a force to reckon with on both ends of the court as she recorded a double-double.

She scored a game-high 35 points to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in an all-round display. She became the first-ever player in WNBA history to record 35+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a playoff game.

Unfortunately, her historic performance was not enough to avoid defeat. She and the Liberty have a tall task ahead. While they have their next two games at home, Stewart will need to create more history, as no WNBA team has ever come back from 2-0 down in a best-of-five series in the playoffs.

Unless Stewart and her teammates can use their Game 2 mishap as fuel for an improbable comeback, their season will come to an end on Friday night. They may have lost momentum, but there’s no better way to regain it than playing in front of their home crowd.

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