Liberty Coach Defends Stewart Amidst Timeout Controversy

New York Liberty coach Chris DeMarco defended Breanna Stewart on Friday, stating that the star player is a "model citizen" for the game of basketball following the controversial ending of Game 2. The Liberty are now facing elimination heading into Game 3.

"She plays the game the right way, she always has," DeMarco said at shootaround. "She’s just exactly what you want out of a basketball player. Again, she’s not trying to bait referees. She’s always been honest so yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. She plays the game the right way and you never want somebody to be questioned."

The controversy stems from the final seconds of Wednesday's 101-98 overtime loss to the Atlanta Dream. With the Liberty on the brink of elimination, Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu inquired about a potential reset timeout that could have allowed New York to advance the ball. Stewart stated that two officials told her the team had no timeouts remaining, a claim that was later contradicted by video evidence showing Stewart asking an official about the timeout. Stewart expressed disappointment that her integrity was questioned.

Ionescu also acknowledged confusion during the play, stating she received mixed information from officials and that the situation unfolded rapidly. "I take it on me, like, I should have kind of been more demonstrative maybe in the way that I stopped the game," Ionescu said. "It was just happening really fast at the free throw line."

Ionescu explained that she did not escalate the situation further due to the risk of a technical foul, which would have put the Dream back at the free-throw line in a close game. "At the end of the day, there’s no pointing fingers," she added. "I’m taking accountability as being someone who was on the court and honestly should have known and been more cognizant of that as well."

Following the game, crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens initially stated there was "no direct communication" with the Liberty's staff regarding the reset timeout. However, video evidence appeared to confirm Stewart's account of asking official Kevin Fahy about the timeout.

DeMarco acknowledged that his staff "should have pushed harder" to confirm the timeout situation, noting that there is a designated staff member responsible for tracking timeouts. He described the situation as "unfortunate" but emphasized that the team does not want it to become a distraction as they trail 2-0 in the best-of-five series.

"It is what it is," DeMarco said. "There’s nothing we can do now."

Forward Jonquel Jones commented on the unprecedented nature of the situation. "It’s a learning experience for us and a tough place to learn," Jones said. "But it’s… the semifinals and every game is a learning experience. Win or loss, we look at the film and you figure out ways to be better and as players, that’s on us, and as a coaching staff, that’s on them as well, and we all just come together and we try to be better so that we can win the game tonight."