In Game 2 of their WNBA semifinals series against the Atlanta Dream, the New York Liberty lost by three points, dropping them to a 0-2 deficit after trailing 98-101 in overtime. The article centers on a controversy where officials incorrectly informed the Liberty that they had no reset timeout left when in fact they did, potentially altering the outcome of the game. Players like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu expressed frustration over this officiating mistake, though some players, like Leonie Fiebich, downplayed its impact on the team’s loss.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
— With Angel Reese on the free-throw line in a one-possession game with 4.3 seconds left in overtime Wednesday night, the Liberty were looking for answers.
asserted
Liberty → leave → answers
Breanna Stewart asked crew chief Kevin Fahy if the Liberty had a reset timeout.
asserted
Liberty → ask → timeout
She said she asked another official too.
asserted
she → say → official
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asserted
you → get → things
He said he’d check.
asserted
he → say → ?
The Liberty were told no.
asserted
Liberty → tell → ?
New York’s final attempt fell short.
asserted
attempt → fall → ?
And the Liberty ultimately fell to the Atlanta Dream 101-98, putting New York’s season on life support.
asserted
Liberty → fall → support
The Liberty, now trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five semifinals, learned after the game they had a reset timeout after all and could’ve advanced the ball on the final possession.
uncertain
they → trail → possession
“When I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout at the end, and they tell us no and then we leave the game with the reset timeout, it’s pretty frustrating,” Breanna Stewart said.
asserted
Stewart → ask → timeout
“I kind of got a good look at the end but would just love to have some clarity on that situation as well.”
asserted
I → get → situation
Sabrina Ionescu said she also inquired about the reset timeout and was told they didn’t have it.
asserted
they → say → it
“I feel like that’s something that they should know, I guess we had one,” Ionescu said.
asserted
Ionescu → feel → one
“I didn’t find that out until after.”
asserted
I → find → that
Ionescu acknowledged an officiating blunder to that degree “can cost [a team] the game for us.”
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blunder → acknowledge → us
“I just feel like that’s unacceptable for the fact that we asked multiple times and they were telling us no,” Ionescu said.
asserted
Ionescu → feel → us
“So I mean, nothing we can do about it now.
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we → mean → it
Mistakes happen, but obviously that’s a costly mistake.”
asserted
that → happen → ?
Leonie Fiebich didn’t blame officiating for the loss.
asserted
Fiebich → blame → loss
“It sounds like a big drama, but I don’t think that’s the reason why we lost,” Fiebich said.
asserted
Fiebich → sound → drama
“Of course, it’s unfortunate, but I think we could have won before that, didn’t let it come that far.
uncertain
it → ’ → that
The Liberty and Atlanta Dream battled in a game that included 17 lead changes and eight ties.
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that → battle → changes
Rookie Marine Fauthoux drained a game-tying 3 with 9.9 seconds left.
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Fauthoux → drain → seconds
Rhyne Howard’s potential game-winner rolled off the rim.
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winner → roll → rim
The two teams needed an extra five minutes to determine the winner.
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teams → need → winner
The first half felt like the inverse of Game 1.
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half → feel → Game
The Dream outplayed the Liberty — and yet New York hung around.
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York → outplay → Liberty
The whistle-happy officiating crew disrupted the flow of the game, calling 27 fouls in the first half.
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crew → disrupt → half
The Liberty, who missed seven free throws in the first half, trailed 56-54 at the break.
asserted
who → miss → break
The game stayed close.
asserted
game → stay → ?
But Atlanta always seemed to have a counter for the Liberty.
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Atlanta → seem → Liberty
Fauthoux, who started the season as a developmental player, came up huge, finishing with 20 points, four 3-pointers, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.
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who → start → bench
She sank a game-tying 3 to force overtime.
asserted
She → sink → overtime
Stewart scored 25 of her 35 points in the first half.
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Stewart → score → half
The Liberty’s luck may be running out.
uncertain
luck → run → ?
New York made history with an impressive sweep of the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round.
asserted
York → make → round
But the Liberty came to Atlanta to face a red-hot Dream team.
asserted
Liberty → come → team
Atlanta hasn’t lost since before the FIBA break.
asserted
Atlanta → lose → break
Wednesday extended the team’s win streak to eight.
asserted
Wednesday → extend → eight
The Liberty will return to Brooklyn for a win-or-go-home Game 3 Friday.
asserted
Liberty → return → 3
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
