The New York Liberty are still recovering from a Game 2 reset timeout fiasco as they attempt to turn the page in their semifinal series against the Atlanta Dream ahead of aGame 3 matchup at Barclays Center on Friday, Oct. 9 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
"Obviously, (the coaching staff) thought that we didn't have one either. So going forward, (it's) a learning experience for everybody," Liberty forward Breanna Stewart saidFriday.
"I really don't wanna talk too much about this because my main focus is Game 3, but what I will say is you wanna have respect between players and refs and players and league and all of these things. In order to have respect, you need to build trust, and building trust comes with being honest. You know what I mean? Putting me in a position
to question my integrity is really disappointing. I know who I am and what I stand for and what I heard. That's that, and I'm gonna continue (to try) to move on from it."
Stewart revealed that Bethany Donaphin, head of league operations, texted her following the game. However, Stewart didn't elaborate about what Donaphin said or what she may have said in response.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, after losing 101-98 in overtime of Game 2, Stewart expressed frustration over a reset timeout that she was under the impression the team had in the waning seconds. Dream forward Angel Reese made two free throws with four seconds remaining in overtime. Stewart said she was hoping to advance the ball following Reese's free throws, but was told by referee Kevin Fahy that there was no reset timeout left by the officiating crew.
Stewart made it clear that she was not blaming the referees for the mixup, but called it "pretty frustrating" to later realize that New York did have a reset timeout remaining. Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco echoed Stewart's comments, saying he was told there was no reset timeout, but also said his staff should have demanded more.
The New York coach doubled down Friday on the Liberty's staff being better in the moment about speaking up about the timeout.
“We know the rules. We should have pushed harder, and it's just an unfortunate situation. And I think we all saw what happened. And we move on and (the) focus is on tonight. It has to be. So we don't want it to be a distraction," DeMarco said.
The Liberty submitted an official inquiry into the timeout situation with the league, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
After Game 2, during a pool report, an official from the game was asked if New York had a reset timeout available to them on the last play of the game. The official responded, "Yes, each team receives two team timeouts and one reset during any overtime." The official was then asked why referee Fahy told Stewart that the Liberty did not have a reset timeout.
The official said, "(Breanna) Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner behind ― I mean between ― Reese's penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining." The official was then asked if Stewart was told that the Liberty had a reset timeout remaining, but the official repeated their response to the previous question, stating that New York had a reset timeout.
The official also said there was "no direct communication" with Liberty staff. A question was then asked about protocol for tracking timeouts, and the official confirmed that timeouts are tracked by the scorers' table and statistical staff. Teams are responsible for managing keeping track of their timeouts. Officials may confirm the status of timeouts with the scorers' table when necessary, but according to the pool report referee, officials do not track timeouts.
Following the league's pool report, DeMarco backed Stewart during Friday's shootaround.
"She plays the game the right way. She always has. ... She's not trying to bait the referees. She's always been honest," DeMarco said. "So yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. She plays the game the right way, and you never want somebody to be questioned.”
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu said that she was confused about the status of the Liberty's timeout during the final moments of Game 2. However, Ionescu blamed herself for not asking more.
“I heard someone say, 'Yes.' I heard someone say, 'No.' It should have been me who honestly stopped the game and was like, ‘What's the answer?’ I'm taking the blame for that as well," Ionescu said.
"It's on me," she added. "I'm taking accountability."
The Liberty, down 2-0 to the Dream, are facing a possible elimination Friday. If New York wants to win the series, it will have to make history. No WNBA team has ever come back from being down two games in a best-of-five series.
This is an ongoing story that will be updated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liberty want to move past timeout fiasco as WNBA playoff elimination looms
