Three days ago, the Golden State Valkyries suffered one of the worst losses of the season. Succumbing to a 101-77 loss against the Las Vegas Aces, the team was waiting for revenge. Unfortunately, facing Vegas on home court, the Valkyries once again failed 72-78. However, this time, coach Natalie Nakase had a lot to say about the officials.
Now, officiating in the WNBA this year has been a controversial topic. Following a second consecutive loss to the Aces, Nakase could not help but point out a few flaws. After all, as a result of the loss, the Valkyries have now won 14 games and lost 15.
Natalie Nakase Livid Over Glaring Officiating Calls
The game was a physical affair right from the start. A total of 43 fouls were called on the night. The Aces received 19 fouls, and the Valkyries received 24. Speaking about the game, Nakase sounded quite frustrated. She pointed out a couple of instances where she thought the officiating could be more consistent.
Nakase pointed out how the Aces managed to shoot 16% in the fourth quarter. The Valkyries’ coach also chimed in, saying the team gained at least five extra free throws. This made things easy for the Aces. Thus, Nakase wanted the officials to have a neutral approach and asked them to call consistently.
“If Jackie Young is shooting a jumper and then, yeah, we touch her. That’s fine. But if a Carla Leite shoots a jumper and she gets touched by Jewell Loyd, you’ve got to tell me what is the reason…You guys saw the game. It was the same shot, and the consistency of the calls is not the same,” said Nakase.
Surely, Coach Nakase has a point here. The game was so intense that Veronica Burton got booked for a flagrant foul. And that was not all. Carla Leite and Dana Evans also got their names in the referee’s book deep into the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, this was not Nakase’s first time complaining about the officiating.
Natalie Nakase Questioned Janelle Salaun’s Ejection
The incident happened moments before halftime. Trying to latch onto the rebound, Janelle Salaun shouldered Jewell Lloyd. Immediately, Lloyd fell down on the ground and the referees called it a flagrant two foul. This led to Salaun’s direct ejection from the game. However, Coach Nakase did not seem too happy.
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“She [Salaun] usually doesn’t do anything, so now I’m kind of concerned whether it really was flagrant. That’s why I was more in shock… Ja’s not that kind of player, so I’m going to have to go back [to watch],” Natalie Nakase said in the postgame press conference (Via YT/GoldenStateValkyries).
Thus, the issue seems to be bothering Nakase significantly. While the team would look to further consolidate its ranks going forward, the officiating remains a concern. Now, fans would love to see what pans out next.