Women's Fastbreak On SI

Liberty's Sandy Brondello Blasts Referees After Controversial WNBA Finals Foul Call

New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello was not happy with the referees after her team's shocking Game 4 loss on Friday.

Grant Young

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello reacts against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello reacts against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx evened up their WNBA Finals series against the New York Liberty at 2-2 after securing a nail-biting 82-80 win at home on Friday night.

While the entire game was closely contested and stressful on both ends, the game ultimately came down to a questionable foul call in the game's waning moments. When the score was 80-80, Lynx star Courtney Williams took a midrange jump shot with about 5 seconds left in the game and missed.

But her teammate Bridget Carleton fought for the rebound. And while she went up for a put-back basket, the referees called a foul on Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.

Carleton then sank her two free throws; effectively icing the game for the Lynx and sending the series back to New York for a winner-take-all Game 5.

While Ionescu certainly had contact on Carleton, the foul getting called in that crucial moment — and thus the game getting decided by the referees — had Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello fuming after the contest ended.

"I will say this. I know Cheryl said it last time, but we got no calls today," Brondello said postgame, per Myles Ehrlich. "Do I have to speak up in a press conference? They called ticky-tacks and we were down there and got hit, and got nothing... I'm one of the nicest bloody coaches in the league, but this pisses me off. Just be fair, you know? If they're getting hit, it's a bloody foul."

Brondello is alluding to Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve complaining about uneven foul calls during Game 4.

Regardless, these two coaches must prepare their teams for the biggest game of their careers on Sunday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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