Liberty's Laney-Hamilton Ejected After Shoe Hits Marina Mabrey During Heated Loss to Toronto Tempo

A game already brimming with emotion took an extraordinary turn when a loose trainer became the centre of the story. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's late ejection overshadowed the closing moments of the New York Liberty's 93-91 defeat to the Toronto Tempo after a shoe was thrown at Marina Mabrey during a stoppage in play.

A Bizarre Moment Changes The Finish

The incident unfolded with 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter at Montreal's Bell Centre. Play was halted after Sabrina Ionescu drew a charge, creating a brief pause as officials reviewed the sequence. Jonquel Jones had lost one of her shoes moments earlier, leaving it on the floor.

Laney-Hamilton picked up the shoe and threw it towards her teammate. Instead, it struck Tempo guard Marina Mabrey in the back.

Officials reviewed the play before ruling that Laney-Hamilton had thrown a 'projectile onto the court'. Because she had already been assessed a technical foul earlier in the contest, the decision resulted in an automatic ejection. Mabrey converted the resulting free throw, restoring Toronto's two-point advantage in a game that ultimately ended 93-91.

The Liberty had erased a 20-point deficit and appeared to have wrestled momentum back. Instead, an incident few could have imagined interrupted their comeback at the decisive moment.

Tempers Had Already Been Boiling

The shoe incident did not occur in isolation. Laney-Hamilton and Mabrey had spent much of the afternoon engaged in an increasingly physical contest.

Earlier in the second quarter, Laney-Hamilton received a Flagrant 1 foul after making contact with Mabrey's face while both players battled for a loose ball. Later, midway through the third quarter, another confrontation saw Mabrey push Laney-Hamilton to the floor. Officials assessed technical fouls to both players as tensions continued to rise.

The fourth-quarter sequence inevitably drew greater scrutiny. Yet the official explanation focused solely on the act itself rather than any perceived intent.

In the post-game pool report, referee Kevin Fahy explained the decision.

'Betnijah Laney picked up a shoe and threw it at Marina Mabrey, and it hit Marina in the back, so she received her second technical foul and subsequently was ejected from the basketball game.'

The explanation made it clear that the ruling stemmed from the object striking an opposing player, which led directly to the second technical foul.

Both Players Agreed It Was Not Intentional

Despite their earlier exchanges, neither player suggested the throw had been deliberate.

Speaking afterwards, Mabrey told reporters she did not believe Laney-Hamilton intended to hit her. Laney-Hamilton echoed that assessment.

'I would never intentionally try to hit someone with a shoe, especially while they're not looking. The teammate was without a (shoe), so I did my best to try and get it to her. Unfortunately, it did hit someone.'

She added, 'I know just by the way that things were going throughout the game that it can look a certain way, but that's just not something that I would personally do... especially in a moment like that where (the) game is on the line.'

That shared view between the two players became one of the more revealing aspects of the aftermath. While the game had featured repeated flashpoints, both agreed the defining moment was an accident rather than retaliation.

Liberty Coach Launches Officiating Broadside

New York interim head coach Chris DeMarco was far less restrained, directing his frustration towards the officiating crew after the final buzzer.

'I've never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws.'

He continued his criticism by questioning several late decisions, calling one overturned possession ruling 'atrocious' before adding, 'Pathetic. It was pathetic.'

DeMarco's remarks reflected a wider sense of frustration after the Liberty's comeback ultimately fell short. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu had led New York back into contention after trailing by 20 points, only for Toronto to hold on in the closing seconds.

The final score will count as another narrow defeat for the defending champions. Yet it is the image of a shoe travelling across the court, the subsequent review and Laney-Hamilton's unexpected exit that will almost certainly define one of the WNBA season's most unusual endings.