Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton ejected in loss to Tempo after throwing Jonquel Jones' shoe at Marina Mabrey

A near-comeback from the New York Liberty over the Toronto Tempo was foiled, in part, by a baffling technical foul. With less than two minutes left to play, Liberty guard-forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected after throwing Jonquel Jones‘ shoe at Marina Mabrey.

Jones had lost her shoe on an early play, while Laney-Hamilton was not on the court at the time, having been subbed out at the start of the fourth quarter. It is likely that Laney-Hamilton was trying to get the shoe back to Jones, but missed — rather than found — her target.

Regardless of intention, the shoe squarely found Mabrey’s back, prompting the Tempo guard to have to be held back by Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. Laney-Hamilton was given a technical foul and ejected from the game, while Mabrey earned one free throw for the tech, which she nailed.

New York, which had trailed Toronto throughout most of the game, outplayed the Tempo in the fourth quarter on the way to a potential comeback, but Toronto went on to win the game 93-91. Mabrey’s free throw alone wasn’t the difference in the Liberty’s loss, but the disruption may have affected the team’s momentum.

In his postgame press conference, New York head coach Chris DeMarco aired his frustrations about the officiating, which he blamed for the narrow loss.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I’ve also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he’s on the other side of the floor,” DeMarco said postgame, via Myles Ehrlich.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I’ve also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he’s on the other side of the floor,” DeMarco said postgame, via Myles Ehrlich.

DeMarco added that Laney-Hamilton’s shot at Mabrey was unintentional, and called the officiating “atrocious.”

“She was trying to get the shoe back to JJ, it hit somebody,” DeMarco said, via Ehrlich. “I think we’re just making stuff up. I have no idea. You’re asking the wrong person okay? It was just an atrocious, atrocious end of that game from officials.”

“She was trying to get the shoe back to JJ, it hit somebody,” DeMarco said, via Ehrlich. “I think we’re just making stuff up. I have no idea. You’re asking the wrong person okay? It was just an atrocious, atrocious end of that game from officials.”

The Liberty’s loss also came at the hands of Sandy Brondello, who was fired by New York last offseason before being hired to take over Toronto’s expansion team. It marks three straight losses for the Liberty, who have drifted into 7th place in the league.