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Real Reason Stephanie White Didn't Challenge Final Play Against Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated May 24, 2025 4:59 PM ET

With the defending champions on the ropes, the Indiana Fever were unable to hand the New York Liberty its first loss of the 2025 WNBA season on Saturday.

With both teams leading by 12 or more points throughout the game, there were plenty of momentum shifts and key moments. However, the bout between two of the WNBA's best came down to the final seconds, and Fever fans will walk away from Saturday's 90-88 loss with a bitter taste in their mouth.

After the Fever missed four shots with under a minute remaining, with the score deadlocked at 88, the Liberty were able to grab possession and draw up a play with 7.1 seconds remaining. The play resulted in Sabrina Ionescu driving to the hoop with Lexie Hull on her, and drawing a foul.

She was able to make both free throws, leaving the Fever with just 2.2 seconds to tie or win the game. Unfortunately for them, Caitlin Clark was unable to get a shot off, and turned the ball over to end the game.

Caitlin Clark was not happy as she thought she was fouled during the final play of the game

Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/r2i83ILN0X
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 24, 2025

While many on social media seemed upset that Fever coach Stephanie White didn't challenge the foul on Hull or the non-call on Clark, that simply wasn't an option.

As confirmed by Indy Star's Chloe Peterson, the Fever didn't have a challenge available due to the fact that they lacked full timeouts.

"Stephanie White could not challenge that foul call on Lexie Hull (the one that led to the game-winning free throws from Sabrina Ionescu) because she didn't have a timeout," wrote Peterson. "You need a full timeout, not a reset timeout, to initiate a challenge."

With the loss, the Fever fell to 2-2 on the year, while the Liberty remain atop the league at 3-0. They, along with the Minnesota Lynx, are the final two undefeated teams.

The Fever will have a chance to bounce back on Wednesday as they will take on the Washington Mystics.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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