The New York Liberty faced off against the Minnesota Lynx in another nail-biter, and unfortunately, they fell short in an 82-80 loss. With the scores tied at 80 and just seconds on the clock, a foul by Sabrina Ionescu on Bridget Carleton handed the Lynx the game. Now, the Liberty are heading into Game 5 with a lot on their minds, and Coach Sandy Brondello isn’t holding back when addressing what really cost the team the game.

Even amid questions directed at players like Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, she took it as an opportunity to fire a shot at the referees. When asked about this team’s status and what they can do for momentum going into Game 5, Brondello said, “I will say this, and I look at the thing here, and I know Cheryl talked about it last time, but we got no calls today.”

“So do I need to talk up in a press conference? Because they were getting ticky tacks, and we went down there, then got hit, and get nothing,” she added. Highlighting the contrast in fouls, she noted that it was a tough pill for her team.

“It was like 12 to 6.5 times, and they tried to even it up near the end. It was 14-9. All we want is fair,” she asserted frustratingly in the postgame conference. “Look, obviously, they’re great players. I think we took some shots. We probably could have moved it a little bit more,” the coach stated, but it was clear where her focus lay. 

The Liberty had 16 turnovers and 14 fouls, compared to the Lynx’s nine fouls and 13 turnovers. The game’s decisive moment came when Ionescu fouled Bridget Carleton. As the 56-year-old coach puts it, “Whenever Liberty gets hit, it must be a ‘foul.’” But, it’s not just this game that has raised questions on officiating decisions. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve also had a bone to pick with the referees.

And these coaches aren’t the first to bring this issue to light.

Napheesa Collier speaks out on referee issues

Lynx’s Napheesa Collier has been in the same boat, pointing out the challenges of adjusting to different referees throughout the series. After Game 2, where she picked four fouls, she said, “It’s hard, you have to adjust to the refs. I mean, definitely it’s not an excuse.”

“We played really bad… but it’s hard to adjust because you are playing one way and you are gonna used to the refs, and they change it up,” she added. This brings out an important issue in the league. With officials changing from game to game, it can lead to inconsistencies in how the game is called.

Brondello’s remarks echoed similar sentiments. In Game 5, it’ll be interesting to see if the officiating becomes a focal point once again—or if both teams can find a way to adjust and focus on what they can control on the court. After all, Reeve had vouched for the team ‘to be mentally tough, look inward, and not blame other people,’ after game 1. And maybe the mindset they’ll carry forward as ‘most championship titles’ lays ahead for one and ‘first title’ for another.