Sports
Minnesota Lynx Coach Sends Blistering Message to WNBA about Officiating
After the game five loss in the WNBA championship, coach Cheryl Reeve said "something must be done about the officiating in this league."
The Minnesota Lynx fell to the Los Angeles Sparks in game five of the WNBA championship in a heartbreaking and controversial finale Thursday night. L.A. Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike made a fade-away shot to win, but a frustrated head coach Cheryl Reeve believes it shouldn't have counted.
With just over a minute in the game remaining, Ogwumike made the jumper to give the Sparks the lead, up 73-71. However, ESPN reported that the replay showed that she "clearly had the ball in her hand as the shot clock ran out," but the referees did not review the call and the basket counted.
The Lynx then retook the lead, 76-75 with a Maya Moore jumper with 15 seconds remaining. However, after having her first shot blocked, Ogwumike, again with the ball, made her second shot to win the game.
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In a post-game press conference, a visibly frustrated Reeve said that "something must be done about the officiating in this league."
Image via Wendy Berry, Flickr, used under Creative Commons
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