Tempers flared between the Lynx and the Mercury throughout Game 3 Friday evening in their WNBA semifinals series.
The true boiling point came with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game as Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve got incredibly heated at the officiating crew and stepped out onto the floor. What led to the outburst was Mercury star Alyssa Thomas getting a steal on Lynx star Napheesa Collier which turned into a lay-in on the other end to all but secure the win for Phoenix as they jumped out to a 2-1 series lead.
Although the Lynx went to inbound the ball, Reeve ran up to the official absolutely irate and was quickly ejected. She had to be held back by multiple staffers and players after the heated moment. Collier received some contact from Thomas on the play where she came up injured on the play and left the game. Reeve seemed to take exception that the contact wasn't called and let her thoughts known.
Check out the wild sequence below:
Chaotic end to Mercury Lynx Game 3 😳
— ProphetX Hoops (@ProphetXHoops) September 27, 2025
-Alyssa Thomas steal and dagger on the other end
-Napheesa Collier injured on the play, left the game
-Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve runs on the court and is ejected
Mercury win and take a 2-1 series lead pic.twitter.com/KqJgBegs8f
Also Cheryl Reeve was as furious as I’ve seen her in four years covering the W.
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) September 27, 2025
She was ejected shortly after this. pic.twitter.com/r8jbh5R9yi
Reeve received a technical foul earlier in the game, but the late outburst was sure to end her night early either way. Minnesota had the ball with the chance to bring the game within one possession with less than 30 seconds left, but the result was a steal and score for Phoenix to go up six and then grab the huge win.
We'll wait to hear Reeve's thoughts and Collier's health status following the play. The Mercury now move one win away from the WNBA Finals ahead of Game 4 in Phoenix Sunday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cheryl Reeve Ejected After Running Out on the Court to Get in Official's Face.
