Key Takeaways
- Breanna Stewart blasted officials for missing what she said was a slap by Angel Reese during the Liberty’s loss to the Dream, earning a technical foul for her reaction.
- “Angel should pay my fine,” Stewart joked after receiving just the third technical of her WNBA career and her first since 2017.
- Reese has not responded, while the loss dropped the playoff-bound Liberty to the No. 8 seed ahead of another matchup with Atlanta.
Breanna Stewart earned a technical foul during the New York Liberty's matchup against the Atlanta Dream on Monday evening, Sept. 21. But she didn't take the technical without pushing back.
Stewart called out officials following what she deemed a no-call on Reese. After the game, she went so far as to say that Reese should actually pay the fine for the technical foul on her behalf.
"That absolutely was [because of] the no-call," Stewart said to reporters after the game, according to Bleacher Report. "She slapped s**t out of my hand."
Heading out of the presser, she added, "Angel should pay my fine," per reports.
The technical foul was unusual for Stewart. She’s rarely been called for technical fouls, having not received one since 2017. Plus, the foul marked only the third technical in her entire WNBA career.
So far, Reese hasn't commented on the moment.
Leonie Fiebich also took a bit of a shot after the game. The Liberty player responded to her team losing, telling reporters per beat reporter Myles Ehrlich, "Obviously, back-to-back is always hard, especially since we have more than half of the team coming off the World Cup, right?"
“It's hard, but not an excuse,” she added. “Physicality is going to go up, so we just got to play through it. We're going to take on the challenge. They can feel good about the win. It's good, cool for us. We're gonna win the next one.”
But it's not all bad news for Stewart. The New York Liberty already has a spot in the WNBA playoffs, and so does the Atlanta Dream. However, the loss dropped the Liberty to the No. 8 seed and eliminated their chance to secure home-court advantage in the first round. They'll go up against the Dream again on Wednesday, Sept. 23, so look for a fiery matchup.
