We all love ending a game with a clutch basket, right? The Unrivaled fourth-quarter rule kind of guarantees that, which is pretty exciting. And Breanna Stewart is definitely a fan of it. But this time, when Stewart found herself shooting the game-winner she wasn’t exactly celebrating. And neither were a lot of fans, honestly. Why? Because it wasn’t a buzzer-beater or a thrilling finish. It was from the free-throw line. That too, after a controversial foul.
After a rocky 0-4 start, Mist has now won two in a row, moving to a 2-4 record with their latest 64-61 victory over the Phantom, who are also sitting at 2-4.
Stewie was the star of the show, putting up 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. But the big moment came at the free-throw line, where Stewart sank the winning shot after Phantom coach Adam Harrington got hit with a technical foul and was ejected.
The Mist-Phantom game was actually tied 53-53 at the end of the third quarter. In Unrivaled, games have an untimed fourth quarter, and the winning team needs to score 11 more points than the highest team’s score after the third quarter. It’s meant to make things exciting.
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
But instead of a buzzer-beater, this game fizzled out with that controversial free throw. The tension of a close game just kind of evaporated.
At least Sabrina Ionescu, Stewart’s New York Liberty teammate, tried to add a little fun to the moment, yelling from halfway across the court. But 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.”
Even Stewie wasn’t much pleased, either. “I don’t know if I like ending the game after a free throw,” she said. Unfortunately, Coach Harrington didn’t speak to the media after the game. He must be really disappointed.
And the situation didn’t sit well with fans either, and soon enough, social media was buzzing with criticism of the Unrivaled rulebook.
Unrivaled fans want a change after controversial endings and ref calls
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 just wouldn’t be fair.
Another one came with a 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.
Basically, they’re suggesting that if a team commits a foul, they lose possession of the ball instead of sending the other team to the free-throw line. This could keep the action more exciting and prevent a free throw from being the deciding factor, which honestly, is a pretty solid idea.
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.
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.
The post Calls Mount Against Unrivaled Rulebook as Breanna Stewart & Co. Triumph after Opponent HC’s last-minute ejection appeared first on EssentiallySports.