Stephanie White discusses the loss, then defends Kelsey Mitchell & Aliyah Boston and says there’s a double standard in calls:

“I think Aliyah Boston is the worst officiated post player in the league. She never gets a call.” pic.twitter.com/kqqDA53T2Z

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) August 13, 2025

Following Monday night’s heartbreaking 81-80 loss, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White called out the WNBA and its officials for having a “double-standard” against multiple players, most notably with Aliyah Boston’s naturally physical style of play in the post.

White’s comments came on the heels of a quite physical game, where the Fever (18-15) stormed back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Wings (9-24), only to fall just one point short of a tie as Indiana could not get the final shot to go down.

Although Dallas was called for more fouls than Indiana by a 19-17 margin, White’s frustration stemmed from the fouls the Wings were able to get away with that would also be called the opposite direction on the Fever.

“There’s a double standard there, certainly,” White said. “But, you know, if it’s going to be physical, and you’re going to allow us to be physical, then allow both teams to be physical. If you’re going to call the holds, and you’re going to call the chucks, then call it both ways. So, I mean, I think that we’ve been pretty consistent in what we’re asking for, and I didn’t feel like it was consistent.”

During the game, White often conversed with the officials during stoppages to get an explanation of their decisions, but her frustration peaked following a shocking upheld decision on her coach’s challenge over a defensive foul on Boston that preceded a made basket by Dallas’ Li Yueru.

During the sequence in which White instantly asked for a review, Yueru clamped Boston’s arm with her elbow as she was going for the ball and continued to drag her arm around as she went up for a shot. Meanwhile, Boston was unable to escape the grasp and was forced into the foul by Yueru.

While Dallas’ Paige Bueckers was noticeably upset with the lack of foul calls drawn while driving to the basket, the former Connecticut star guard would eventually be rewarded with drawn fouls later in the game. While this is nothing new for foul calls to be viewed differently over the course of a game, it did appear that Indiana got the “blind eye” treatment from the officials, especially on numerous reviews.

Preceding the appalling confirmed foul on Boston, there were two official-initiated reviews on potential illegal closeouts on 3-point attempts (one for each team).

The first of the two occurred just minutes into the game when Bueckers landed on Sophie Cunningham’s foot after releasing a 3-point shot. After observing the video, the officials upgraded the call to a Flagrant 1 foul, which gave Dallas possession following the three free-throw attempts.

The second instance occurred in the fourth quarter when Dallas guard Grace Berger landed on Kelsey Mitchell’s foot after a 3-point attempt from the Fever star. In both cases, the defender impeded the shooter’s landing space, but Berger was not given any additional penalty beyond the common foul because the officials stated Mitchell had already landed on two feet before being stepped on by the defender.

“I think Kelsey Mitchell, No. 1, is held or chucked on every freaking possession and never gets a call off the ball,” White said.

This isn’t the first time White has called out the officials for inconsistencies this season, as she said the lack of control in the June 17 game against the Connecticut Sun led to six technicals and three ejections, and voiced her displeasure with a series of calls that led to a last-second New York Liberty win over the Fever on May 24.

In addition to White, Cunningham has also been fined twice by the league for criticizing their officials on her podcast Show Me Something, particularly on how the WNBA has treated Caitlin Clark this season.

In a press conference ahead of the 2025 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said league officiating is something they “continue to work on,” and that there is an independent evaluation of officials throughout the season. However, this apparent evaluation has yet to improve the overall view of the league’s officials, especially from the Indiana Fever.

Indiana will look to bounce back Friday night against the Washington Mystics from Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m. CT on ION.

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