Jemele Hill demands harsh punishment for WNBA ref who lied to Breanna Stewart in Game 2 loss

Sports writer Jemele Hill has called out the official who was at the centre of controversy after the New York Liberty's 101-98 loss to the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of the WNBA second round.

As the Dream were shooting free throws, Breanna Stewart was lining up to box out and collect the rebound for a final attempt. She asked the official, Kevin Fahy, if the Liberty had a reset timeout, which would help them advance the ball higher up the court and get an easier look for a three-pointer, but Stewart said she was denied at that time.

However, the Liberty did have a reset timeout and after the game, the eight-time All-Star revealed what had happened between the free throws in her post-game press conference.

"This is not blaming the refs, but when I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout at the end and they tell us no, and then we leave the game with a reset timeout, it's pretty frustrating," Stewart said.

After the game, clips have been making the rounds of the interaction between Stewart and the official, which has convinced Hill of what had happened.

Lead official Fatou Cissoko-Stephens said that the Liberty were informed about the reset timeout, which is different from what Stewart revealed in her press conference.

However, Hill had her decision after watching the clips and she posted her thoughts on X.

"So the official straight up lied. That official should be taken off the rest of the playoffs," tweeted Hill.

With 4.3 seconds still left, Liberty started the play on their baseline and they did have a final attempt, but the heave from Stewart was short and led to their loss on the night.

Now the team will have to focus on Game 3, which will be the decider. Losing that will end their playoff run and Stewart's pursuit of her fourth WNBA championship.