Dawn Staley aims thinly-veiled dig at WNBA officials after last-gasp Finals drama

Bridget Carleton's two free throws with just two seconds remaining led the Minnesota Lynx to a thrilling 82-80 victory over the New York Liberty on Friday night - forcing a decisive Game 5 in the WNBA Finals .

The teams will face off again on Sunday night in New York, marking the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019 when the Washington Mystics triumphed over the Connecticut Sun. Yet it appears not everyone was happy with the standard officiating on Friday night, with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley making her feelings known on social media.

Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams contributed 19 and 15 points respectively for Minnesota, who limited Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to poor shooting performances. Unlike the previous three games where one team established a big lead, this match was closely contested throughout with 14 lead changes and 13 ties.

• Steph Curry congratulated Sabrina Ionescu in voice memo that perfectly sums up NBA star
• Caitlin Clark U-turn could be on the cards after job offer away from WNBA

With the score level at 80-80 and only 18 seconds left, Carleton secured a crucial rebound and was fouled by Ionescu, leading to her game-winning free throws. Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich were the top scorers for New York with 21 and 19 points respectively, while Stewart, who had scored 30 points in Game 3, managed only 11 points and Ionescu added 10.

After the game, Staley made her feelings on the officiating known on X: "Whoever wins this WNBA championship earned it! And I must say, the officials will have earned their pay. AND I hope we don’t get any of the Finals officials during the first few weeks of our season... they need a much needed break! (laughing emojis)."

Fans also complained about the officials on X. "WNBA refs are truly the worst officials in any type of sports," wrote on critic, while another added: "The refs defeated the Liberty. Embarrassing officials. You should be ashamed."

Minnesota is on the brink of making history with just one win away from clinching a record fifth WNBA title, surpassing the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm. The Liberty, on the other hand, are still in pursuit of their first championship despite having reached the Finals five times.

As one of the original eight franchises when the league kicked off in 1997, they remain the only team yet to taste ultimate victory. Last season saw them lose to Las Vegas in the Finals.

Interestingly, Friday night marked the one-year anniversary of the Aces' Game 4 triumph. The Lynx have made it to the Finals for the first time since bagging their fourth championship in seven years back in 2017.

In a nail-biting encounter, Minnesota managed to secure a 77-72 lead with just over three minutes remaining before New York rallied to score eight of the next 11 points. This included a crucial three-point play by Jones with 70 seconds left that leveled the scores at 80.

Both teams had opportunities before Carleton's decisive free throws. McBride missed a layup with 56 seconds to go, but the Lynx forced a shot-clock violation on the other end when Stewart’s attempt in the lane fell short with 18 seconds remaining.