With a couple of minutes left in Q2, a foul call on Lexie Hull triggered a chain of events that would define the Fever’s season. The Indiana Fever’s playoff run ended at Michelob ULTRA Arena, but for Sophie Cunningham, Game 3’s disappointment went beyond the final score. As the Fever packed up for the offseason following their first-round loss to the Las Vegas Aces, one moment involving head coach Stephanie White and the officials stood out. The Fever guard has now revealed what happened behind the scenes – and one response from an official that left her stunned.

The 30-year-old opened up about the incident on the October 3 episode of the No Hesitation podcast, explaining what happened when White was assessed a technical foul while trying to challenge a call early in the second quarter.

“I’ve been dying to talk about this,” she said. “On that play, though, Steph(anie) White comes and calls a timeout and tries to challenge it. And one of the officials calls her for a [technical] for coming out on the court. And we’re like, ‘We’re trying to challenge it.’ And then one of the refs, Tim, I said, ‘Tim, why can’t we challenge that?’ And he goes, ‘I don’t know the rules.’ What? You’re a ref in playoffs, and you don’t know the rules?”

“So, I mean, that’s just like one of the instances, that’s a bad call. And that matters because that was Lexi’s third foul – second or third foul – and she’s a guard that plays a lot for us,” Sophie Cunningham further added.

The sequence came less than two minutes into the second quarter with the game tied 31-31. Lexie Hull and Brianna Turner became tangled up while battling for position in the paint. Turner eventually went to the floor and pulled Hull down with her. The officials charged Hull with the foul, prompting coach White to immediately step onto the court to voice her frustration and attempt to call a timeout for a challenge.

Instead, White was assessed a technical foul, which sent Chelsea Gray to the free-throw line, where the Aces guard converted her shot to put Las Vegas ahead by one.

Several reports indicated that the Fever coach attempted to challenge the call but was not permitted to do so. However, Fever beat reporter Tony East clarified what happened.

“Broadcast now says they got confirmation the Fever didn’t challenge with the allotted time they’re supposed to,” East wrote on X.

Despite the Fever missing their challenge window, Cunningham’s account raises further questions about officiating in a league that already suffers from significant refereeing issues.

So, as the game came to an end and Sophie Cunningham & the Fever once again saw their playoff run ended by the Aces, coach Stephanie White made sure to voice her frustration with the officiating.

“They weren’t talking to us,” White said during her postgame interview, via the Indianapolis Star. “They were running away from us, actually, because I got the technical for trying to go on the court to call a timeout to challenge. The officiating was terrible.”

Her technical foul is currently under review by the league, and if it is not rescinded, White will be required to pay a $500 fine under league rules.

As for the Aces, they will now advance to the semifinals, where they will face the Golden State Valkyries in a best-of-five series, while Sophie Cunningham and the Fever head into the offseason with a frustrating officiating episode still fresh in their minds.