MONTREAL – Shoe-Throwing Incident Leads to Ejection

On Sunday, Bethnia Rainey Hamilton found herself in quite a predicament—she threw her shoe. This unexpected act resulted in her ejection from the game.

With just 1:48 left in the fourth quarter during Liberty’s 93-91 defeat against Toronto Tempo, Hamilton’s shoe flew through the air and accidentally hit Marina Mabry in the back. Everything unfolded rapidly as the shoe navigated from beneath Liberty’s basket to its unintended target.

This unusual event occurred during a stoppage after Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu drew a charge. Hamilton received a technical foul for tossing her shoe—this marked her second technical of the match, leading to her first-ever automatic ejection.

Earlier in the game, during the third quarter, Hamilton had a confrontation with Mabry, resulting in both players being assessed technical fouls. Additionally, Hamilton was flagged for a flagrant foul after her arm inadvertently brushed Mabry’s face while they both scrambled for a loose ball late in the second quarter.

After the game, Hamilton expressed surprise at the incident, insisting that hitting Mabry with her shoe was not her intention. “I would never intentionally try to hit someone with my shoe, especially when I wasn’t looking,” she said. She explained that she was trying to pass the shoe to a teammate who needed it. “Unfortunately, I hit someone… things can escalate quickly during a game, but that’s not something I do, especially with the game on the line.”

Coach Chris DeMarco was understandably frustrated with the officiating, particularly regarding Hamilton’s ejection. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he remarked, describing the situation as “brutal” and “pathetic.” He noted, “We had all the momentum. A shoe hits someone, we get ejected, and they hit free throws.”

When asked later for additional details about the ejection, DeMarco maintained that there was confusion about what had transpired. “We’re just making things up. All I know is it was a terrible ending to that game by the officials,” he added.

Following Hamilton’s technical foul, Mabry converted the resulting free throw, giving the Tempo a two-point advantage. Despite Liberty tying the game, Nyara Sabally ultimately scored, sealing the victory for Toronto and halting their four-game losing streak.

The loss dropped New York to 13-11 for the season, marking their seventh defeat in the last ten games.