Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected in the third quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals after getting face-to-face with a referee. Despite walking away, Tibbetts was hit with a double tech and had to immediately leave.
Tibbetts is the first head coach to ever be ejected in a WNBA Finals game.
Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, a two-time WNBA champion, took over as acting head coach after Tibbett’s exit.
This was just another tough hit for the Mercury, who did not have Satou Sabally available due to a concussion, and earlier in the game saw star Alyssa Thomas hurt her right shoulder — although she did return to the court.
Tibbetts’ ejection happened with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter. At that point, the Las Vegas Aces were up 68-54. However, his team seemed to get fired up by the incident and started gaining some momentum.
“That’s what the Finals are about,” said Mercury small forward Kahleah Copper during an ESPN sideline interview. “I think the refs aren’t doing a good job tonight, I’m sorry, but we just gotta keep our heads. Keep our heads and just try to chip away.”
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There have been a lot of talks about officiating during these playoffs, but Tibbetts had been one of the coaches to not heavily criticize referees.
During the Mercury vs. Lynx semifinals, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected for going after officials, amongst other things.
