WNBA Official speaks out on Breanna Stewart incident as Angel Reese’s Dream claim Game 2 win

Dubai: The WNBA’s official pool report appears to differ from Breanna Stewart’s account of what happened during the New York Liberty’s 101-98 Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Dream.

WNBA referee operations official Fatou Cissoko-Stephens said New York had a reset timeout available following Angel Reese’s penalty free throws during overtime.

According to Cissoko-Stephens, Stewart was standing beside referee Kevin Fahy when he confirmed with another official that the Liberty had a reset timeout remaining.

That differs from Stewart’s account after the game. The Liberty star said she had asked the officials about the availability of a reset timeout and was told they did not have one.

“This is not blaming the refs, but when I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout at the end, and they tell us no… it’s pretty frustrating,” Stewart said in the post-game press conference.

The difference centres on whether there was communication between Stewart and the officials about the Liberty’s timeout status.

In the pool report, Cissoko-Stephens repeatedly said Stewart was present when Fahy confirmed that New York had a reset timeout available. However, she also said there was no direct communication between the officials and Liberty staff about the team’s timeout status.

She explained that available timeouts are tracked by the scorer’s table and statistical staff, while teams are responsible for managing their own timeout usage. Officials can confirm the status with the table when necessary but do not officially track timeouts.

Under the overtime rules, each team receives two team timeouts and one reset timeout.

The Liberty are now seeking further clarification. According to The Athletic’s Annie Costabile, New York has made an official inquiry with the league regarding the reset timeout and communication between Stewart and the officials.

The issue comes after a tightly contested overtime finish in which Atlanta secured a 2-0 series lead, leaving New York facing a difficult situation heading into the next game. Angel Reese led the Dream with 23 points and 7 rebounds along with Jordin Canada. They now are one win away from WNBA finals.