Furiously Stomping to the Ref, Diana Taurasi Needed Her Teammates to Avoid Major WNBA Debacle

The 2023 WNBA season has seen some exceedingly belligerent times lately. Quarrels among WNBA stars have broken out after every few matches, depicting the high intensity of the league. The Phoenix Mercury played the New York Liberty in a regular season matchup recently. The fans witnessed two record-breakers of this season, Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi pitted against each other in this game. However, things got heated in the second quarter when the Mercury tried to come back into the game after going down 10 points.

Amid this potent atmosphere, 41-year-old Diana Taurasi got herself in trouble after getting into an ugly brawl. However, Taurasi did not quarrel with a player. ?The Mercury’s combo guard Taurasi got into a quarrel with the referee which not only landed her in trouble but also got her teammates involved.

Diana Taurasi gets into trouble

Diana Taurasi has had a spectacular year 19 in the WNBA. The 41-year-old has not only lived up to her reputation but also had some unbelievable stretches which ended up breaking age-old records. However, she landed herself in major trouble in the game against the New York Liberty.

The Liberty took on the Mercury in their back-to-back game after losing to the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces. Coming into the game, both teams have had a very contrasting season. While the Liberty are currently holding the second seed in the standings, the Mercury are second-last, holding the 11th seed. However, this did not stop the game from getting highly intense.

With three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Taurasi drove to the paint only to be met by Jonquel Jones under the rim. Jones blocked her shot, but Taurasi seemed enraged that she did not receive a foul call. The disgruntled 41-year-old showed her disapproval by making some furious gestures. The referee did not approve of these gestures and called a technical foul on the Mercury guard.

The White Mamba seemed furious about the no-call already, but the technical foul had the 10-time All-Star up in fumes.

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She then decided to make a frustrated move that also got her teammates involved.

The White Mamba needed her teammates to stop a major debacle

Holding the 11th seed, the Phoenix Mercury’s hopes of playoff contention have pretty much come to an end. However, this did not stop Diana Taurasi from putting up a fight against one of the league’s strongest teams. After her play not getting a foul call, she seemed furious with the referee. The technical foul naturally did not help.

The technical foul call on Taurasi sent the former WNBA MVP into a frenzy. She aggressively charged towards the referee which seemed to lead to a much bigger debacle. However, Mercury forward, Brianna Turner came to the rescue.

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Turner stopped Taurasi from further advancing towards the referee, forcing a level-headed conversation. The referee too, explained why she did not call a foul on the play, citing verticality. The referee claimed that the Liberty center used the age-old practice of jumping straight up to contest the shot.

Turner saved the day by intercepting Taurasi’s charge towards the referee. Although Turner’s actions helped avoid a major debacle, Taurasi landed herself in a heap of trouble. The Mercury too, ended up losing yet again as the Liberty took home a comfortable 85-63 win. This incident, however, only adds to the vast number of brawls that have occurred in the WNBA this season.