Sophie Cunningham didn’t hold back in criticizing officiating in Tuesday’s matchup between her Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings, particularly regarding calls in favor of rookie Paige Bueckers. The Wings edged out an 81-80 win in Indianapolis, with Maddy Siegrist scoring 22 points, Li Yueru adding 20, and Bueckers contributing 16.
On her “Show Me Something” podcast the following day, Cunningham acknowledged Bueckers’ talent but argued that the referees were overly generous with foul calls in her favor. “I love Paige… she’s a helluva player and will be a Hall of Famer,” Cunningham said, “but those refs gave her every freakin’ whistle. You couldn’t even touch her. That’s so annoying. And if she’s getting that treatment, our guards should too. The inconsistency drives me nuts.”
Despite shooting just 6-of-19 from the field, Bueckers went to the free-throw line four times and drew numerous fouls on Fever players, including Cunningham and Lexie Hull, both of whom finished with four fouls. Cunningham, already fined previously for similar public criticisms of WNBA refereeing, made it clear she isn’t backing down. The debate over Bueckers’ “favorable whistle” isn’t new—earlier this month, another opponent complained about a questionable call in her favor, prompting a playful response from Bueckers herself.
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