Liberty’s Sandy Brondello rips refs over foul differential

MINNEAPOLIS — The Liberty’s Game 4 loss that gave away their first chance to clinch the franchise’s maiden championship uncharacteristically broke Sandy Brondello.

The 12th-year head coach, in her third year with the Liberty, took issue with the foul differential Friday night against the Lynx, who were able to pull out an 82-80 win in the final seconds to force a winner-take-all Game 5 in New York on Sunday.

The Lynx were whistled for nine fouls; the Liberty 14.

There wasn’t a blatant foul that decided the game in the final seconds, but it was something Brondello felt she needed to bring up.

“But I will say this. I look at the thing here [box score] and [Lynx head coach] Cheryl [Reeve] talked about it last time but we got no calls today,” Brondello said sternly. “So, do I need to talk up in a press conference? Because they were getting ticky-tacks, and we went down the end and get hit and get nothing. It was like 12-6 at halftime and they try to even it up near the end. It was 14-9. No, all we want is fair. So, if we’re getting hit, that’s a foul. I’m one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league but this pisses me off. Just be fair. If they’re getting hit, it’s a bloody foul.

“But in the end, close game. There are things we could have done a little bit better. So, we all could have done better, including me getting that f–cking timeout. Sorry shouldn’t say that, don’t repeat it. We just have to go back to New York and win.”

Reeve previously mentioned the foul total after Game 3 when the Lynx accrued 18 and the Liberty were called for 13.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Breanna Stewart had four personal fouls.

Her first came in the second quarter on Napheesa Collier, who made both free throws and ended the night with 14 points.

She later committed two more shooting fouls in the quarter — one on Courtney Williams and the other on Kayla McBride, who made a three-point play.

Stewart had the most personal fouls of any player in Game 4.

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Brondello admitted she tried to call a timeout for a chance to regroup after the Liberty won an offensive rebound with 30 seconds left.

After Stewart grabbed the board, the Liberty failed to get anything to fall before the shot clock expired with 18.1 seconds remaining and the Lynx in possession.

“They didn’t hear me. So, that’s on me,” she added. “But, yeah, it wasn’t our best possession. It was loud in here. I don’t know, maybe I just have to spring out in the middle of the court next time. So, I got to be better.”

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Nyara Sabally and Jones both took on the workload for Stewart as she was forced to sit more often because of foul trouble.

Both took on Collier and helped limit the Lynx to 26 points in the paint. The Liberty had 38.

Jones had 21 points and Sabally added four points and five rebounds across 11 minutes.

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Game 4 had 14 lead changes and 13 ties. In the prior three games, one team held a double-digit first-half lead.