Sophie Cunningham Throws Shade at WNBA Officiating After Fever Collapse in 35-Point Fourth Quarter

No doubt, the 2025 WNBA regular season has felt different, partly because of a growing number of controversial calls missed by referees at critical moments. Just consider the Indiana Fever’s matchup against the New York Liberty, where Caitlin Clark appeared to be fouled on a strip attempt, yet no call was made. Following the game, head coach Stephanie White didn’t hold back, calling the officiating “pretty egregious” and even “disrespectful,” as she voiced frustration over a growing trend of Clark and the team not getting the protection they deserve. While some minor adjustments in foul-calling have been made since then, but they haven’t exactly aligned with what White was hoping for! Case in point? This time, it was Sophie Cunningham who appeared to fall victim.

It all unfolded during the Fever’s recent game against the Los Angeles Sparks—a matchup played without their offensive engine, Caitlin Clark, who was sidelined due to a left groin injury. In her absence, Coach White turned to a similar strategy used earlier in the season: inserting veteran Sydney Colson into the starting lineup and rotating Cunningham into a ball-handling role off the bench to help fill the void. But the plan didn’t quite pan out.

Colson went scoreless for the night, and while Cunningham added 10 points, she also racked up three personal fouls—two of which came during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter. When asked about those late-game fouls during the postgame interview, Cunningham didn’t hide her frustration. “The one that was a foul or the one that wasn’t? Anyway,” she said dryly. Clearly, she wasn’t convinced that both calls were justified—and if you look at the sequence, it’s not hard to understand why.

With just 49 seconds remaining and the Fever trailing 79–75, Cunningham was whistled for a shooting foul on Dearica Hamby. Hamby missed the free throw, giving Indiana a chance to close the gap. But that hope was short-lived. Azurá Stevens crashed the boards, snagged the offensive rebound, and scored a putback two-pointer to extend the Sparks’ lead to 81–75.
Jun 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston, center, is defended by Los Angeles Sparks forwards Azura Stevens (23) and Rickea Jackson (2) during a free throw in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn Images

As if that breakdown wasn’t damaging enough, Cunningham was once again called for a foul on the same play—this time sending Stevens to the line for an and-one. The Fever scrambled to recover, subbing Natasha Howard in for Cunningham, but the damage had been done. Stevens made the free throw, stretching the lead to seven and shifting all momentum to LA.

The Fever were then outscored 35–17 in the fourth quarter—a collapse that sealed their fate and handed the Sparks a much-needed win. So, it’s no wonder Cunningham questioned the officiating. But despite her visible frustration with the calls, one thing is clear—she’s not giving up on this team anytime soon!

Sophie Cunningham shares her perspective on Fever’s loss

Despite the Fever picking up their eighth loss of the 2025 season, Sophie Cunningham is keeping her head up—while still being real about what’s holding the team back. “Man, I think we’re trying to figure it out,” Cunningham said in her postgame interview. “You’re right, we’ve had double-digit leads going into the fourth, and then we just let it slip. For us, we’ve got to be better from top to bottom.”

She didn’t sugarcoat anything. Cunningham acknowledged what everyone watching has noticed: the team’s energy and execution fade in the fourth quarter. “We have to have better energy, better focus. And at the end of the day, we’ve shown that we can do it,” she added. “It’s all about consistency. We’re trying to give each other grace and patience, but at some point, you’ve got to dig in and say enough is enough.”

And honestly, she’s right. The Fever have shown flashes of greatness, but they keep stumbling in the final stretch. Just look at the numbers. In their last four games, Indiana has been outscored 106-78 in the fourth quarter alone. That’s a brutal -28 differential—the worst in the entire WNBA over that span.

But here’s the thing: even with those collapses, this team has proven they can compete. They’re sitting at an 8-7 record and have already notched a massive win over the New York Liberty, snapping their 11-game winning streak. So yes, there’s potential here. Now it’s just about finding a way to finish strong, and turning all those “almost” moments into wins.

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