Aug 17, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White watches from the sideline as they take on the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

Stephanie White Rips Referees After Fever WNBA Playoffs Loss to Aces

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Indiana Fever came up short against the Las Vegas Aces on September 23, losing to them by a score of 90-68 on the Aces' home court. As a result, their WNBA Semifinals series is tied 1-1 heading into Friday's contest at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena.

Tuesday's loss was a frustrating one to watch for Fever fans. Not only was the team never really in the game after halftime (the Aces outscored them in all four quarters), but star guard Kelsey Mitchell (who has arguably been the best player for any team in the postseason) was bottled up by the Aces. She finished the game with just 13 points on 4 of 14 shooting from the field and 1 of 6 from three-point range, which is a far cry from the 34-point performance she produced in Game 1 for Indiana.

In addition to Mitchell and the entire Fever offense's struggles, the contest felt overly physical at times, while also feeling like there were too many fouls being called at other points. There was ultimately a lot of free throws taken, as the Fever shot 11 of 15 from the stripe and the Aces shot 15 of 21 from there.

Stephanie White Calls Referess Out After Fever Loss

One person who was clearly frustrated with the officiating was Fever head coach Stephanie White, who made her gripe apparent with speaking during her postgame press conference.

When asked why the Fever struggled to find a flow on offense during the game, White said, "Well, it's hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds. I mean, it just really is.

"And when they're at the free throw line, we can't get up and down the floor. And that's a challenge," she added, per an X post from @Sudharsan_AK10.

"It's hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds"

That Aces w'histle is nasty pic.twitter.com/a6TwrtQdxk
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) September 24, 2025

White has been critical of referees for essentially this entire WNBA season, and she has been fined at least once for her criticism. While these comments were relatively tame compared to what she has said in the past, she's clearly upset about how this game was officiated.

Regardless, the Fever will need to brush this one off and rebound against the Aces during Friday's game. Tuesday's defeat aside, it ended up being a successful road trip for the Fever, as most would agree that they'd be content splitting the first two road games of this series before having the next two contests in Indianapolis.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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