Sophie Cunningham slams ‘absolutely horrible’ officiating following Aces win over Mercury

What she was referring to with Copper specifically was when it was 97-95 Aces with 46.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Vegas guard Jackie Young pushed off of Copper before scoring the game-deciding shot.

Some may call it a flop by Copper, but the thousands of booing fans watching inside Footprint Center and others online were shocked that it wasn’t called an offensive foul on Young. Had it been ruled as a foul, the shot would not have counted and possession would have been given to the Mercury who could have tied it or taken a lead on the next play.

Trying to wrap his head around what happened in the game, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts had a hard time trying to come up with a response.

“I don’t know what to say about the officiating to be quite honest with you,” Tibbetts said. “I am kind of at a loss of words.”

Las Vegas was trailing 28-12 after the first quarter and snapped out of their cold start courtesy of 66 points combined between Young and WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson. The Aces showed a bigger sense of urgency and were more physical, helping them overcome their early struggles.

Phoenix was ultimately eliminated from the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with the loss, going 3-2. The Minnesota Lynx will face the New York Liberty for the tournament championship.

While Cunningham and Tibbetts questioned the officials’ job in a must-win game they lost, Mercury icon Diana Taurasi maneuvered in a different direction, presumably because she didn’t want to be fined by the league.

“I am so happy we have charters [charter flights],” Taurasi said, jokingly.