The Atlanta Dream finished a sweep of the New York Liberty with an 85-83 win in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals on Friday night. It was reported Friday afternoon, however, that the WNBA had opened an investigation into the controversial finish to Game 2 on Wednesday night. Shortly before tip-off to Game 3 though, the league released a statement indicating that the matter was closed.
The Dream defeated the Liberty, 101-98 in Game 2, despite a game-high 35 points and 11 rebounds from New York All-Star forward Breanna Stewart. "Stewie" was at the center of Wednesday's controversy when she claimed that the referees told her that the Liberty didn't have a reset timeout before the final possession in overtime. "...and then we leave the game with the reset timeout, it's pretty frustrating," Stewart said after the Game 2 loss, per ESPN.
Down by three points with 4.3 seconds left in overtime, New York inbounded the ball under its own basket and advanced the ball up the court instead of using its timeout. The two-time MVP and North Syracuse native heaved a desperation shot from beyond the three-point line in an attempt to send the game to a second overtime, but the attempt fell short. Officials disputed Stewart's claims after Game 2, saying, "Stewart was standing behind referee (Kevin) Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between (Angel) Reese's penalty FTs that the Liberty did indeed have a reset TO remaining," they said postgame, per Annie Costabile.
The Dream will face the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals beginning on Oct. 17.
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