Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's most productive game of the season was overshadowed by a shoe-throwing incident that led to her first career ejection.

Laney-Hamilton was sent to the locker room with 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter of the New York Liberty's 93-91 loss to the Toronto Tempo on Sunday. The ejection followed an accidental shoe toss that struck Toronto's Marina Mabrey.

Laney-Hamilton stated she intended to throw an abandoned sneaker back to her teammate, Jonquel Jones, but missed and hit Mabrey. "I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they’re not looking," Laney-Hamilton said. "Teammate was without a shoe, so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone."

Mabrey indicated after the game that she did not believe the action was intentional. Laney-Hamilton acknowledged that the sequence of events, including prior altercations with Mabrey during the game, could create the appearance of intent.

Earlier in the game, Laney-Hamilton received a flagrant-1 foul in the second quarter for making contact with Mabrey's face while contesting a loose ball. A skirmish in the third quarter resulted in both players receiving technical fouls. The shoe throw constituted Laney-Hamilton's second technical foul of the game, leading to the automatic ejection.

Despite the late-game drama, Laney-Hamilton’s performance was a bright spot for the Liberty. With Pauline Astier in foul trouble and Leonie Fiebich and Satou Sabally sidelined due to injuries, Laney-Hamilton provided a valuable contribution off the bench. She finished with six points and three rebounds, expressing optimism about building on the outing. "It definitely felt good to just kind of find some type of rhythm," she said. "The game is a game of rhythm and so I think just hopefully I’m able to continue to build on that and everything."

Laney-Hamilton has faced a difficult season, marked by a fluctuating role as she returned from a year-long recovery from knee surgery. Currently on a one-year contract, she could be a trade candidate before the Aug. 2 deadline. She emphasized her focus on maintaining readiness amidst the uncertainty. "Just going into it with the mindset of just staying ready," Laney-Hamilton said. "Obviously, it’s been really tough. Everything’s been kind of uncertain and just ups and downs, but I just really been trying to focus on staying ready for the moment and just going out there."