Liberty’s Coach Handles Questions About Officiating with Humor

Coach Chris DeMarco didn’t let the topic of officiating get to him after Liberty’s 88-77 defeat to the Wings on Tuesday. When asked about the referees, he simply remarked that the officiating was “awesome,” all while flashing a grin.

The Liberty’s loss can’t be pinned on the referees, though.

In fact, during the second quarter, Liberty outscored the Wings 29-11, with seven points coming from the free throw line. Oddly enough, they managed to shoot only 2-of-15 from the field (a mere 13.1 percent) and missed all five three-point attempts, ending the half down by 16.

Throughout the second half, Liberty did inch closer, narrowing the Wings’ lead to single digits on several occasions, but they never regained the lead.

After the game, officiating became a hot topic, a recurring issue in the league.

Liberty struggled with some tough decisions down the stretch, making choices that ultimately didn’t pan out. For instance, Jessica Shepherd seemed to elbow Rebecca Allen in the nose near the baseline when the ball went off target.

The Wings kept possession, and Allen ended up leaving the game with what appeared to be a nose injury.

Sabrina Ionescu shared her thoughts, admitting it’s “hard” to keep focused when it feels like fouls are being inconsistently called. “All we’re all looking for is some form of consistency,” she expressed. “You have to call evenly on both sides, and tonight showed how tough it is when calls don’t match up.”

Ionescu also pointed out that the issue of officiating is more pressing than ever. “Sometimes it seems like teams that aren’t quite as popular don’t get the calls, which makes it tough. We want to keep playing at a high level without changing how we play based on the referees’ decisions,” she said. “It’s vital to emphasize that we can’t let the game get dictated by that.”

While Ionescu understands that improving officiating is a “work in progress,” she acknowledged that the loss wasn’t solely the referees’ responsibility. “Whether it’s the referee’s fault or something else, we’re not going to place blame. Obviously, it’s out of our control, but we know things will improve.”