WNBA Admits Referees Robbed Title From Minnesota Lynx On Missed Shot Clock Violation Call

L.A. Sparks forward and WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike hit the game-winnning shot after the shot clock expired.

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Image via Complex Original
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Nothing is more unsettling than seeing your team lose a crucial playoff game at the buzzer. What's even more gut-wrenching is losing that way on a buzzer-beater in a title game. While we're at it, it's even more messed up when the game's refs rob your team on a missed call that should not have allowed the game-winner of the final game of the championship series, fail to review the botched call, and the league's front office admits to the officiating blunder thereafter—yet the opposing team still goes home with the trophy.

That's exactly what happened to the Minnesota Lynx in the decisive Game 5 (on their home court!) of the WNBA Finals against the L.A. Sparks on Thursday. Kudos to L.A. Sparks forward and reigning WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike for hitting the buzzer-beater. The Lynx were up by one, 76-75, when Ogwumike caught a rebound off a missed shot and hit the shot on a fadeaway jumper as the game clock was winding down to just 3 seconds to go. However, the game-winning shot should not have counted, as the 24-second shot clock had expired. The final score was 77-76 in the nail-biting contest.

Of course, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was not happy with the officials' botched calls throughout the game, including the eventual game-winning violation shot. 

In the clip below, Reeve said of the poor officiating, "It’s not fair to the players." She continued, "It’s not enough just to apologize and send out a memo that they got something wrong. These players are so invested, and something must be done about the officiating in this league, because it isn’t fair to these great players."

The WNBA's top boss Renee Brown released a statement admitting that the league's front office was not pleased by the missed call either, and apologized to the Lynx for the mishap.

But the Lynx's Maya Moore shrugged off the call by saying.  “I thought I saw them do this,” Moore said to reporters about the referees while motioning the violation call, “but they didn’t.” Indeed, the review never came. Added Moore: “It doesn’t mean anything now.”

 

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