Gabrielle Union and More Furious Over Refs’ Call Against UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards as Caitlin Clark Relishes in Victory

The Iowa Hawkeyes vs UConn Huskies Final Four game had a controversial ending due to the refs. Despite a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards turned the table for UConn with an insane comeback in the final minute. It even led to a potential game-winning play, but the Huskies couldn’t complete it because of a dubious foul call. The basketball world has already started to show its disapproval, but the highlights are the harsh words from Dwyane Wade‘s Gabrielle Union and two other former NBA veterans. 

The first words of criticism were from Gabrielle Union, who tweeted, “You can’t call that!!!!!! That’s some ol bs”. She added, “I hate the end of that game. That’s a damn shame. Iowa came to play and so did UConn. That’s absolutely NOT how you determine a game like this.” Boston Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins wasn’t a fan of the call too. He tweeted, “That’s a BS call”, while former Lakers star Matt Barnes wrote on Twitter, “Can’t have that call!!”

UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards set a strong screen for her teammate Bueckers, with 5 seconds remaining on the clock. The Huskies were down one point(69-70), but even before Bueckers could do something with the ball, the referees called an offensive foul on Aaliyah Edwards, to snatch the potential game-winning possession. Edwards’ foot was set, but her elbow was leaning out a few inches, which gave the Iowa Hawkeyes an upper edge, and the road to the NCAA Finals. 

Paige Bueckers took a humble path and blamed herself and the Huskies for not getting a win. However, UConn coach Geno Auriemma did not hesitate to call out the alleged bias from the referees. 

UConn Huskies coach throws light on “illegal screens” that cost them a Finals appearance

The internet believes Edwards’ offensive mishap was too light to be called for. She did extend her elbow slightly, but that was not a hindrance to the defense. Moreover, with 5 seconds remaining on the shot clock, and a possible game-winning possession in hand for the Huskies, the referees could have avoided that offensive call. However, that was not the problem for coach Geno Auriemma. He believes the Iowa Hawkeyes kept a lot of illegal screens, similar to Edwards.

In the post-game pressers, Auriemma shared, “There’s probably an illegal screen call that you could make on every single possession. I just know that there were three or four of them called on us and I don’t think there were any called on them.” 

Surprisingly, the Huskies did not complain a lot, despite missing out on their chance to win an NCAA title. Their humble path is appreciable, but the internet is not willing to let go of this ‘unnecessary’ call. 

Read more: “Refs Wanted Iowa to Win”: Offensive Foul Call on Aaliyah Edwards Infuriates Fans as Caitlin Clark Suffers the Wrath