A Bizarre Ejection in the Closing Minutes
New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected from Sunday’s 93-91 loss to the Toronto Tempo after a thrown shoe struck opponent Marina Mabrey. The incident unfolded with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, immediately following a charge called against Toronto’s Laura Juskaite.
Laney-Hamilton, seated on the bench, attempted to toss a shoe back to teammate Jonquel Jones after it had fallen off during a previous possession. Officials determined the projectile struck Mabrey in the back. After a video review, Laney-Hamilton was assessed a technical foul for “throwing a projectile onto the floor.” Because she had already received a technical foul earlier in the game, the second infraction triggered an automatic ejection.
Laney-Hamilton’s Account of the Toss
Laney-Hamilton maintained that the contact was accidental. “Teammate was without a shoe, so I did my best to try and get it to her,” she said after the game. “Unfortunately, it did hit someone. I know just by the way that things were going throughout the game that it can look a certain way but that’s just not something that I would personally do.”
DeMarco Rails Against Officiating
The fallout from the ejection proved immediate. Mabrey converted the resulting technical free throw to extend the Toronto lead, effectively stifling the Liberty’s momentum. A final attempt by Breanna Stewart to force overtime missed as time expired.
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco did not mince words when addressing the officiating crew. He described the referees’ performance as “atrocious” and “pathetic.”
“I’ve never seen anything like [the ejection],” DeMarco said. “We had all the momentum in the world. Shoe hit somebody, ejected, free throws. I’ve also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he’s on the other side of the floor.”
The coach further disputed a late-game possession ruling, claiming the ball was “clearly off the defender” before the decision was overturned in favor of Toronto. He also leveled criticism at the crew for a perceived lack of foul calls on drives to the rim.
A Team in a Difficult Transition
The loss marks the third consecutive defeat for the Liberty and their seventh in their last nine games. Despite entering the season with high expectations, the team currently holds a 13-11 record, placing them seventh in the standings.
DeMarco, a former Golden State Warriors assistant, is currently working through his first season as a WNBA head coach. As the team remains in a transitional phase following an off-season coaching change, they must now look to reset and improve their standing during the final stretch of the season.
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