LeBron James, Angel Reese, Kelsey Plum react to Aaliyah Edwards foul call to end UConn-Iowa game
After Aaliyah Edwards’ foul call ends the UConn-Iowa game, LeBron James, Angel Reese, and Kelsey Plum react.
The conclusion of a game should never be determined by referees, yet that’s precisely what happened on Friday night during the legendary Final Four match between Iowa and UConn.
The Huskies trailed the Hawkeyes by two points with two seconds remaining in the contest. Aaliyah Edwards, a teammate of Nika Mühl of UConn, tried to lay a screen on Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall as Mühl was dribbling in traffic.
With four seconds remaining, the referee blew the whistle and issued an offensive foul for Edwards’ illegal screen before Muhl could make a play. The official determined that the senior from UConn had set up a moving screen, which is against NCAA Rule 10, Section 5, Art 4.
After regaining possession, Iowa was able to finish off the clock to win and secure a trip to the national final.
BENDER: Savor the final moments of Caitlin Clark’s magnificence.
As could be expected, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was not thrilled with the call. When questioned about the foul at his postgame news conference, the veteran Huskies bench boss responded as coolly as could.
“There’s probably an illegal screen call that you could make on every single possession,” Auriemma stated. “I don’t believe any of them called on them; I only know that three or four of them called on us. I suppose all we can do is make sure that we don’t establish any unauthorized displays.”
Paige Bueckers, a key player for UConn, wasn’t letting that one moment define the defeat, even if it affected the game.
“Everybody can make a deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game,” Bueckers stated. “I believe there were several errors on my part that might have kept that play from even being that significant or losing the game.
“You may say, ‘That killed us or that wounded us,’ based on a single play, but we could have performed better. I should’ve done a better job of ensuring that the game wasn’t decided by a single bad call that went our way or by chance in that manner. We may have had to make a difficult decision, but I believe I could have done a better job of stopping it before it even happened.”
Social media did not share the Huskies’ genuine feelings during the call, even though the squad may not have. Even though it appeared from camera perspectives that the caller made the correct evaluation, it nonetheless generated a stir on the internet.
These are a some of the more noteworthy responses to the Edwards appeal, ranging from WNBA players to LeBron James and Angel Reese.
