Veteran guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected from Sunday’s game in the final minutes for one of the stranger technical fouls in recent WNBA history. As the Toronto Tempo took on the New York Liberty on Sunday, an intense interaction occurred between Laney-Hamilton and Tempo guard Marina Mabrey. While the Tempo ended up winning the exchange 93-91, the Mabrey-Laney-Hamilton exchange held all eyes.
With around 1:48 minutes left on the clock, a shoe hits the back of Marina Mabrey. Reportedly, it was thrown by Laney-Hamilton. The shoe actually belonged to Jonquel Jones, who lost it a little earlier in the fourth quarter. Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco was as puzzled as everybody after the match, as he explained to Liberty reporter Myles Ehrlich.
“I’ve never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I’ve also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he’s on the other side of the floor”.
It’s unclear what Laney-Hamilton was trying to do, as the shoe is seen hitting Mabrey square in the back, per a video posted to X by Underdog WNBA. The officials on court gave Laney-Hamilton her second technical foul, and she was ejected. Mabrey converted the free throw in the dying seconds, and Toronto was up 91-89.
Both players did, however, address the issue post-game.
Mabrey believes that the shoe was not thrown at her intentionally, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton noted the same.
“I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they’re not looking. The teammate was without a (shoe), so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone.”
Here’s why this incident became so pivotal for the result of the match. The Liberty were in a winning position before this ejection. After Toronto blew a 20-point lead, it looked like Liberty would make the perfect comeback on the back of strong performances from Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, who scored 28 and 22 points, respectively, for the night.
However, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s ejection completely halted that momentum for the Liberty as the Tempo hung on to win the game. Mabrey had her second consecutive 30-point game and her fifth this season, and Julie Allemand finished with 10 assists, including the one that won them the game. The Tempo will be happy to take this win, even if a shoe played a little role in it.
Toronto End Their Losing Streak, Pile On More Misery On The Liberty
The win meant that Toronto snapped their four-game skid. On the other hand, for the Liberty, it was their seventh loss in nine games.
The loss exposes the fault lines in the Liberty squad. While Stewart is leading them offensively, the Liberty are struggling defensively at the moment, especially during transitional play. Injuries to players like Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, Rebecca Allen, and Pauline Astier have also left them a little shorthanded.
Liberty were predicted as one of the title contenders before the start of the season. While a 13-11 record does not spell panic, they face a crucial next set of games against some tough opponents, and this stretch could very well determine their playoff chances.
For the Tempo, their big money bets on Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes are paying off. Granted, a 10-13 record is nothing to boast about, but the Tempo have all the fundamental pieces to push for a deep run into the season if Mabrey continues her rich form.
The Tempo now look to their next matchup against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, as they face Sonia Citron and the squad, hoping to start a winning streak.