The Indiana Fever‘s frustrations with the officials boiled over in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s WNBA playoffs Game 1 vs. the Atlanta Dream with coach Stephanie White and guard Odyssey Sims receiving technical fouls.

White was irate with a no-call against Dream guard Rhyne Howard, who grabbed Shey Peddy and spun her underneath the basket. The sequence drew an immediate reaction from the Fever bench and White followed the official along the sideline as play continued, expressing her displeasure in no uncertain terms. 

White started back toward the bench as the official signaled for a technical, then turned heel and walked back toward midcourt, where Kelsey Mitchell gently held her back. Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark then walked over to escort White back to the bench.

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Sims was T’d up moments later. She dove after a loose ball at midcourt and, though the back of her head was toward the camera, appeared to look up at the referee as she slapped the ball away.

Officiating was a point of consternation for the Fever throughout Sunday’s game. White had used both challenges by the 1:45 mark of the second quarter, successfully overturning calls against Lexie Hull and Boston. 

The frustrations continued into the second half with non-calls for Hull, a questionable foul against Boston (her fifth overall and second in 10 seconds) and the aforementioned sequence involving Peddy.

The teams combined for 43 fouls.

The Fever lost to Atlanta, 80-68. Game two of the best of three is set for Tuesday in Indianapolis.

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