Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve called for a “change in leadership” over the officiating during her team’s WNBA Semifinals Game 3 loss against the Phoenix Mercury.
The Lynx find themselves on the brink of elimination after a fourth-quarter collapse against the Mercury at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. Minnesota entered the final period with a 67-63 lead and a chance to take a 2-1 series edge heading into Game 4.
The Lynx offense went ice-cold in the fourth, with the Mercury outscoring them 21-9 to seal an 84-76 victory.
Reeve did more than just criticize what she felt was poor officiating throughout the game. The 59-year-old took a shot at WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert by calling for new leaders to make decisions for the league.
“This is the look that our league wants, for some reason,” Reeve said during his postgame press conference. “We were trying to play through it, and we tried to make excuses. One of the best players in the league shot zero free throws. Zero. And she had five fouls, zero free throws. Had her shoulder pulled out, finished the game with her leg taken out, and probably has a fracture.
“[If] this is what our league wants, okay? But I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It’s bad for the game. The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those people semifinals playoff-worthy, is f—ing malpractice. I can take an ‘L’ with the best of them. I don’t think we should have to play through more than what they did. … They’re f—ing awful.”
Cheryl Reeve RIPPED the refs as expected:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) September 27, 2025
"This is the look that our league wants for some reason. For the leadership to deem those 3 people, semifinals playoff worthy is fucking malpractice" pic.twitter.com/QioZX3c3Zy
Reeve got from Friday’s game after complaining to the officials about a no-call as Napheesa Collier had her pocket picked in the closing seconds
Minnesota finished Game 3 without Napheesa Collier or Coach Cheryl Reeve.
— espnW (@espnW) September 27, 2025
Coach was assessed a second technical foul and ejected after Collier collided with Alyssa Thomas on this play. pic.twitter.com/6ZNGuUSXi9
The WNBA MVP runner-up finished with 17 points on an efficient 8/15 shooting clip to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. But Collier didn’t take a single free throw in the contest.
Collier finished top-6 in free throw attempts per game during the regular season, averaging 5.2 foul shots across 33 contests. The All-Star forward has taken a total of two free throws through the first three games of the series.
