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ESPN Analysts Slammed for Flawed Fever vs Aces Free Throw Discrepancy Take
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; ESPN analyst Andraya Carter poses prior to a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ESPN Analysts Slammed for Flawed Fever vs Aces Free Throw Discrepancy Take

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young  |  Last updated Sep 29, 2025 2:52 PM ET

A big part of the commentary surrounding the Indiana Fever's 90-83 win over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the WNBA Semifinals on September 28 was how the game's referees seemed to give the Fever a favorable whistle.

Many of those who watched the contest felt like Indiana was getting a lot of foul calls that weren't getting whistled earlier in the series. The staggering free throw discrepancy between Indiana and Las Vegas (the Fever shot 34 free throws as a team while the Aces shot 11) further suggests that the game wasn't evenly called.

Aces star forward and reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson alluded to this in reference to her ongoing battle with Fever center Aliyah Boston in the post when speaking with the media after Sunday's game. Wilson said, "Aliyah did say I have a special whistle, and she shot 13 [free throws] today."

She then added, "Yeah. She said it last game, I had a special whistle. Which is cool. So you just gotta play better defense, make her looks a little difficult, and kind of go from there."

ESPN Analyst Discussion About Fever vs. Aces Free Throws Sparks Pushback

ESPN analysts Andraya Carter, Elle Duncan, and Chiney Ogwumike spoke about this free throw debate during a September 28 segment. Carter said, "If you were at the game earlier in this series, the free throw attempts, the discrepancy, it was five [shots], it was six, it was four. Those were the first three games. This game tonight, it was 23. The free throw attempt discrepancy was 23. Indiana shot 23 more free throws than the Aces!"

Carter then noted how she believed Aliyah Boston fouled A'ja Wilson in a replay of a call that was shown on screen while she spoke, but Wilson was called for a foul.

Chiney Ogwumike then added, "Yeah, the irony is that Aliyah Boston actually shot more free throws than the entire Aces squad. And mind you, respectfully, Aliyah commits the most fouls in the WNBA, and the second-most offensive fouls."

These comments are prompting a lot of backlash from Fever fans, who believe that these takes don't tell the entire story.

"@Andraya_Carter @chiney 11 of those free throws came in the last 60 seconds of the game when LV was fouling on purpose to try to stop the clock," one fan wrote in a reply.

Another fan added, "12 were in the last two minutes on intentional fouls by the Aces."

"They make sure to highlight the one play that looks favorable to Aja! Why didn’t they highlight any that were against Aliyah? There would be many more," wrote a third.

Many other fans are making their frustration about this segment apparent.

It will be interesting to see who gets the more favorable whistle during Tuesday's winner-take-all game in this series.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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