WNBA Player Ejected After Throwing Shoe at Marina Mabrey on Video, Scuffle During Tempo-Liberty - Bleacher Report
A recent matchup between the Toronto Tempo and the New York Liberty saw a contentious moment when a shoe was thrown, leading to an ejection. The incident occurred during a game that the Tempo ultimately won 93-91.
The player ejected was Betnijah Laney-Hamilton of the Liberty. Her ejection happened at the 1:48 mark of the fourth quarter. The play involved teammate Sabrina Ionescu drawing a charge, and as the game was paused for review, Laney-Hamilton threw a shoe that Jonquel Jones had lost moments prior. The thrown shoe made contact with Tempo guard Marina Mabrey in the back.
Ejection and technical fouls
Following a review, Laney-Hamilton received a technical foul for throwing a “projectile onto the court,” which resulted in her automatic ejection from the game as it was her second technical foul of the matchup. Mabrey then took the technical free throw, which contributed to the Tempo taking a two-point lead.
Crew chief Kevin Fahy confirmed the ejection, stating that Betnijah Laney picked up a shoe, threw it at Marina Mabrey, and it hit Marina in the back, leading to her second technical foul and subsequent ejection.
The incident was part of a tension-filled game for Laney-Hamilton. Earlier in the third quarter, at the 3:19 mark, she had already received a technical foul after a dustup with Mabrey. During this earlier altercation, Mabrey pushed Laney-Hamilton to the floor, and both players, who had been chippy throughout the game, were assessed technical fouls.
Additionally, in the second quarter at the 2:08 mark, Laney-Hamilton was assessed a flagrant-1 foul. This occurred during a scramble for a loose basketball involving both Laney-Hamilton and Mabrey, where Laney-Hamilton’s arm made contact with Mabrey’s face.
Player and coach reactions
After the game, Marina Mabrey commented on the shoe-throwing incident, indicating she did not believe it was intentional. She stated, “I had to take a couple breaths. But I think she was really just trying to get the shoe back to JJ. But I’ll take the free throw.”
Laney-Hamilton also addressed the situation, appearing to confirm Mabrey’s assessment. She said, “I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they’re not looking. The teammate was without a (shoe), so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone.” She added, “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… especially in a moment like that where (the) game is on the line.”
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco expressed strong opinions regarding the officiating and the ejection. He remarked, “I’ve never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A 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.” He further criticized a decision, stating, “The ball is clearly off the defender and (the referee) comes over and overturns and gives the ball back to the Tempo. Then again, I’ve never seen one of the best players to ever play in this league attack the rim and get fouled, and absolutely no call. Atrocious, pathetic. It was pathetic.”
The Tempo secured the 93-91 win, improving their season record to 10-13, while the Liberty fell to 13-11.
Source: bleacherreport.com
