Getty Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies
The April 5 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four matchup between Iowa and UConn ended in controversial fashion.
A questionable call made by one referee in the game’s final moments has fans around the country lamenting what was shaping up to be a classic finish between two elite teams.
The call in question came with four seconds remaining in the game, when UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul on an illegal screen.
You can see the ESPN broadcast’s video of Edwards’ screen here:
Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul on this possession.
Many basketball icons were watching the game, who all shared similar takes about what they believed was an unnecessary call.
NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain’t rolling with that call.
NBA legend LeBron James went viral for writing on X, “NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain’t rolling with that call.” moments after the play occurred.
LSU superstar Angel Reese — who was knocked out of the NCAA tournament by Iowa on April 1 — wrote on X, “Wait was that screen not set clean?” In reaction to the Edwards screen and ensuing foul.
wait was that screen not set clean?
UConn basketball legends Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi were watching the Final Four game together, as part of ESPN’s ‘The Bird & Taurasi Show‘ broadcast.
All three women had similar reactions when the controversial foul was called.
3 uconn huskies react to the ‘offensive foul’
“Wow,” Taurasi said. “What an unfortunate time to call an offensive foul. Just know how to ruin the game.”
“That’s tough.” Bird said, while the broadcast showed UConn head coach Geno Auriemma’s reaction to the foul.
Stewart didn’t say anything in response to the screen. Instead, she shook her head, visibly upset by the game-altering call.
Kelsey Plum — whose NCAA women’s scoring record Caitlin Clark broke on February 15 — wrote on X, “To call that on a game deciding play is so wrong WOW”.
To call that on a game deciding play is so wrong WOW
But did Edwards actually commit a foul?
Edwards’ Screen Was Technically Illegal
Despite what people are saying about the call, Edwards’ screen was almost certainly illegal.
ESPN analyst Mark Adams proved this with an X post.
Illegal screen by any current rule. Targets defender, feet way wider than allowed, moves into defender and makes contact, and extends left elbow. If a referee doesn’t make this call, they shouldn’t referee the next game. A foul is a foul in the first minute and last minute.
The four photos that Adams includes prove that Edwards wasn’t set before making the contact, and also extended her arm as Iowa’s Gabbie Marshall ran by.
Yet, illegal screens are common in basketball. As Auriemma said in his postgame press conference, “There’s probably an illegal screen call that you could make on every single possession.”
The problem with the call on Edwards was that it came at a crucial moment.
Fans are upset because the referee essentially decided the game’s outcome. If that foul wasn’t called, we might have witnessed a historic play in an already thrilling women’s college basketball season.
Although UConn has more of a right to be upset than anyone. Yet, they elected to keep it classy postgame.
Paige Bueckers Isn’t Blaming UConn’s Loss on Referees
UConn star Paige Bueckers addressed the media after the game, and claimed that the controversial call wasn’t why UConn lost.
“Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game. I feel like there were a lot of mistakes that I made that could’ve prevented that play from even being that big.”
– Paige Bueckers
“Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game,” Bueckers said. “You can look at one play and say, ‘Oh, that killed us or that hurt us.’ But we should have done a better job.”
Perhaps Bueckers is right.
Yet, there’s no question this call affected UConn’s final possession. And their season.