The Liberty’s season ended with a sweep, but one question from Game 2 lingered: why did New York finish with a reset timeout unused? A disputed exchange between Breanna Stewart and referee Kevin Fahy left the team without clarity at a moment when it needed a chance to extend the game.
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In the latest episode of her No Hesitation podcast with Drew Hanlen, Sophie Cunningham addressed the lack of respect shown to the players who put everything on the line when they enter the court. The Liberty lost Game 2, putting the series score at 2-0, a deficit no WNBA team has ever recovered from in a semifinal series. Cunningham offered a blunt reaction to the league’s response on the matter.
“We’re all still confused. What the hell happened there? You need someone at the head of the snake to set the tone, to set the standard, to respect our league. Not having any response, or not even coming out and saying, ‘Hey, we hear you, we see you, this is getting taken care of.’ What are we doing? That’s just disrespectful.”
She went on to specifically address the WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert’s role in the matter, while also acknowledging that the league was in a state of flux.
“I know we’re in the process of finding a new commissioner, but how is this not being taken care of in a quick manner?” Cunningham added. “Why does no one know what actually is going on or what happened with the situation and the reset timeout and Stewie and the coach and Kevin?… Our commissioner should be up on a freaking podium like, ‘Hey, we saw this, we see you, we hear you. These are the proper steps that are going to be taken, and you guys will have an answer tomorrow.’”
The confusing situation Sophie Cunningham referred to unfolded late in the Liberty’s 101-98 overtime loss to the Dream in Game 2 of their semifinal series.
New York had forced overtime when rookie Marine Fauthoux hit a tying three-pointer with 10.3 seconds left in regulation. Rhyne Howard’s potential game-winner then rolled out, keeping the Liberty’s hopes of evening the series alive.
The Liberty’s problems began before the disputed timeout exchange. With 20.8 seconds left in overtime, a defensive breakdown left Naz Hillmon open for a layup that put Atlanta ahead 99-98.
New York had a chance to respond, but Sabrina Ionescu threw the ball out of bounds while driving with fewer than 10 seconds remaining. She later took responsibility for the turnover, which gave Atlanta possession and forced the Liberty to foul.
With 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime, New York trailed 99-98 as Angel Reese stepped to the free-throw line. During that sequence, Breanna Stewart asked referee Kevin Fahy whether the Liberty still had a reset timeout available. According to Stewart’s postgame account, Fahy checked with crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens before telling her they did not. Reese made both free throws, leaving New York needing a three-pointer to force another overtime.
But this is where the narratives diverge. In the post-game interview, Stewart emphasized that Fahy told her that the Liberty did not have a reset timeout remaining. But according to the pool report by the WNBA, Cissoko-Stephens directly contradicted Stewart’s POV.
“Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese’s penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining.”
Footage aired on ESPN’s NBA Today on October 8 added another piece to the dispute. Stewart could be heard asking Fahy whether New York had a reset timeout, confirming that she had raised the question. However, the footage did not make clear whether Fahy heard or answered her, leaving the disputed response unresolved.
A reset timeout, according to WNBA rules, is “A stoppage of play requested by a team that allows it to advance the ball and make substitutions but not huddle. Each team is entitled to one Reset in the final two minutes of the fourth period and one in the final two minutes of any overtime period.”
Sabrina Ionescu later described receiving conflicting signals herself, saying one official told her the reset was available while another shook her head no. She hesitated because she knew requesting a timeout when none remained could result in a technical foul.
On the other hand, DeMarco confirmed that a Liberty staff member monitored resets but acknowledged that the team should have pressed harder for clarity.
“We know the rules,” he said on Friday. “We should have pushed harder, and it was just an unfortunate situation.”
His comments followed a tense postgame press conference in which Stewart turned to him before addressing the disputed exchange. “Am I the one saying it? Or you?” Meanwhile, DeMarco saw little value in revisiting the officiating once the result was final.
“It doesn’t matter at this point, right?” he said when pressed after the game. “The game’s over.”
He repeatedly suggested that what happened needed no further explanation, returning to the same assessment: “it is what it is.”
Calling the reset timeout would give the Liberty the chance to start the next play from the half-court mark. But instead, they were forced to inbound the ball awkwardly to Stewart, who attempted a desperate three-pointer. It missed, handing Atlanta the win as time ran out.
Even Atlanta’s coach had expected a different setup for New York’s final possession. Karl Smesko said he knew the Liberty had a timeout and expected them to use it to advance the ball.
This one call may have cost the Liberty the entire season, as they went on to lose Game 3 as well, and the Atlanta Dream swept them in a 3-0 series.
The Liberty submitted a formal inquiry after Game 2, prompting the WNBA to review footage from multiple camera angles, examine the available audio, and speak with those involved. The league then released its findings before Game 3.
Stewart also said Bethany Donaphin, the WNBA’s head of league operations, texted her after Game 2, though she did not reveal what the message said. At shootaround before Game 3, Stewart called having her integrity questioned “really disappointing,” stressing that respect depended on honesty and trust.
While Sophie Cunningham is correct about the WNBA Commissioner not addressing the issue, a league official did, in fact, offer a statement about the officiating confusion before Game 3 began, per The NY Times.
“It is clear on video and audio that Breanna Stewart asked Referee Kevin Fahy about the reset timeout,” the statement read. “At that moment, there were multiple overlapping conversations and non-verbal exchanges between the referees, game participants, and also Stewart with Liberty bench personnel, which led to a misunderstanding amongst the various parties. Our referees can certainly handle these interactions better and have been given that feedback.”
The statement closed with a line that underscored the gap between the league’s response and Cunningham’s call for further action: “No further follow up is expected on the situation at this time.”
While this is not the response Sophie Cunningham had hoped for, it’s better than nothing. It doesn’t offer Liberty a chance at redemption, but at the very least it acknowledges the miscommunication. The Dream moved on to the Finals, where they will face the Golden State Valkyries after they swept the Las Vegas Aces in a 3-0 series.