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Sep 24, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates with forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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Sep 24, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates with forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
One of the biggest selling points of the newly formed Unrivaled League is that utilizes the Elam Ending, made famous by the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. This means that after the end of the third quarter, the teams will chase the “winning score” which in Unrivaled is determined by adding 11 points to the leading team’s score. This guarantees the excitement of every game ending with a clutch game-winning shot. But things turned out a little different for Breanna Stewart in the most recent outing in her co-founded league.
On Monday night, the Mist recorded their second win in a row to recover from a wretched 0-4 start. They won 64-61 against the Phantom, with Stewart leading the way with a double-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. The game was finely poised with 53 points for each team, making it the first Unrivaled game in three weeks to be tied at the end of the third quarter.
This meant a thrilling fourth quarter ahead, but instead of a dramatic finish to the game, we got an anti-climatic end. The win for the Mist came from Stewart from the free-throw line and that too after a controversial foul.
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Stewart sank the winning shot after Phantom coach Adam Harrington got hit with a technical foul and was ejected. Sabrina Ionescu, Stewart’s New York Liberty teammate, tried to add a little fun to the moment, yelling from halfway across the court. But Phantom’s Brittney Griner couldn’t help but express her frustration. “I didn’t see why they gave him one,” she said about her coach’s ejection.
“I know he was fighting for us, and you appreciate a coach who will fight for you on the court. It’s crazy they would call that honestly. Just give me a warning or something. Don’t let a game get decided on an [expletive] free throw,” she added.
Even Stewie wasn’t much pleased, either with how the game ended in less than thrilling fashion. “I don’t know if I like ending the game after a free throw,” she said.
While Stewart shone in the game, the supporting cast was equally adept. Rickea Jackson (17 points), Jewell Loyd (13 points), and DiJonai Carrington (11 points) also scored in double figures. But for many fans, the free-throw end to the game was not what they were hoping for.
This isn’t the first time the league has come under fire for officiating with sensational WNBA rookie Angel Reese being the first to be ejected in a Unrivaled game over the weekend.
Phantom BC coach has been ejected Mist now have a chance to win the game with a free throw pic.twitter.com/pSAmfUXmBe
— Basketball Scout (@ShowCaseShabazz) February 4, 2025
Playing for Rose Basketball Club against the Laces, Reese was called for a foul by the referee while she was guarding Tiffany Hayes, who fell on the floor, in the second quarter. Unhappy with the call, Reese waved her hand in the direction of both the official on the baseline who made the call and Hayes. The official, however, appeared to think the motion was directed at him and called the first technical foul.
Things got worse for Reese as she pleaded her case with the official and was handed a second technical and tossed out of the game. Analyst Sarah Kustok was shocked that an ejection actually was given saying, “Angel Reese was just tossed.” Reese herself took to X to express her frustration.
When a fan tweeted, “refs are out of their mind” for ejecting her, she replied, “Can’t wait to go back to Chicago.” Meanwhile, the situation involving Breanna Stewart ending the game with the free throw had the fans calling for a rule change.
Unrivaled fans want a change after controversial endings and ref calls
Unrivaled has come up with quite a few rules to make it more fast-paced in addition to the 3-3 format it follows. The league uses an 18-second shot clock, which is a significant difference from the WNBA (24 seconds) and college (30 seconds). Unrivaled also reduces the amount of free throws. Each trip to the free throw line will result in just one attempt. But their most exciting rule is the playing to a winning score, taking inspiration from Elam Ending.
However, the manner of the finish between the Mist and the Phantom had the fans disappointed and they called for a change. First off, a user wrote, “Rule change with winning on free throws for next year, thanks @Unrivaledwbb.” That means, no more deciding the game on free throws. Because when the scores are tied like this and there’s so much thrill, you don’t expect the game to end on a free throw, especially one caused by a coach’s ejection. It kills all the fun.
Then, there’s the bigger issue some fans are worried about: “Then teams will foul on purpose.” This fan is hinting at a potentially huge flaw in the system. Teams could start intentionally fouling to get to the free-throw line, and that would just defeat the purpose of the league adopting the Elam Ending.
Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, developed the concept and was used by The Basketball Tournament in 2017. The rule received widespread attention when current San Antonio star Chris Paul successfully pitched the idea to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and it was implemented in the 2020 All-Star game. The winning score was kept 24 points more than the leading team’s score after the third quarter.
Another fan came up with a unique solution. “They should do no free throws in the 4th. Instead, if they foul, the ball gets turned over. This will keep the game moving and never allow a foul shot to decide the game!” the said. This could keep the action more exciting and prevent a free throw from being the deciding factor.
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Jan 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Breanna Stewart (30) of the Mist collides with Allisha Gray (15) of the Lunar Owls during the second half of the Unrivaled women’s professional 3v3 basketball league at Wayfair Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
And then, there’s the fan who’s had enough already. “Change it this week. Emergency meeting, please 🤷🏾♀️.” They’re saying they can’t wait for a rule change till next year, they need it to happen now.
Finally, some fans are just done with the refs. “The refs are deciding too many of these games,” one fan commented. We saw how, in the Saturday game, fans believed that Angel Reese’s ejection wasn’t fair. So, it’s not the first time fans have voiced their concerns about officiating.
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It’s tough when fans feel like the flow of the game is being interrupted by bad calls, which could turn people off from watching the league in the future. Let’s see if Unrivaled listens to these fan complaints and makes some changes, or if this keeps happening.
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Debate
Should a technical foul really decide a game, or is it time for Unrivaled to rethink?
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Top Comment by JGW
Yes they should rethink and lower the baskets. Although the ABA didn’t last it brought entertainment to basketball. This league...more
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