“Getting Hounded Everywhere”: Olivia Miles Calls Out WNBA Officials After She Was Left Frustrated for More Than One Reason
· Yahoo Sports
Olivia Miles claims that officiating standards have shifted mid-season, and she has clearly felt the impact. Miles has been the primary offensive weapon for the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx all season, but their last game against the New York Liberty clearly frustrated the rookie guard. Miles, who led the Lynx in scoring last night as well, expressed her annoyance with the refereeing as the Lynx lost their third consecutive game.
Post-game, during the media availability segment, credentialed Minnesota beat writer Andrew Dukowitz asked Olivia Miles about the physical play against her in the last three games the Lynx have played and lost. Miles, who looked exasperated after the game, called out the refs in a clip Dukowitz posted on X.
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“They were calling it one way at the beginning of the season, and now it’s like a free-for-all, I guess. And I’m trying to adjust back, and I have to do so a little bit more quickly. But yeah, I mean, it’s frustrating at times when you feel like you’re getting hounded everywhere, and pushed off your spots, and thrown on the ground and stuff. But ultimately, we can’t rely on the refs to win us the game. And you gotta go strong; you gotta finish your contact.”
As the Lynx’s leading scorer, Miles drew the Liberty’s heaviest defensive attention— and the most contact. Miles drew enough shooting fouls to go 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. She ended the night with a team-high of 20 points, while adding eight rebounds and five assists. She was clearly not her usual efficient self, as she went 5-for-18 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Half of her points came from the free-throw line. In comparison, Miles’ last five outings saw her score 36-0f-73 (49.3%) from the field.
Miles seems to allocate some of the blame to the lack of fouls called as she battled the physical play by the Liberty. The Liberty’s defensive intensity mirrored what Caitlin Clark faces nightly—a new challenge for Miles in her rookie season. For most of her rookie season, Miles was not guarded as fiercely. She is averaging 19.7 PPG with 4.6 RPG, but as the playoffs approach, opposing teams are making specific plays to shut down Miles’ scoring ability.
Even Liberty guard Marine Johannès acknowledged the physical play in the game at Target Center.
“It was not only one offense but defense — the defensive part was much better. We played with aggressiveness again. The physicality tonight was great and it was the difference,” she said after the game.
While physicality may have played a role, Olivia Miles also admitted to her own errors.
“But ultimately, we can’t rely on the refs to win us the game. And you gotta go strong, you gotta finish your contact. I thought I missed a few bunnies, and I’m internalizing that a lot.”
The physical play might not be the only reason for Miles’ frustrations, though. External analysis beyond Miles herself could yield another reason for her exasperation. The aggressive Liberty defense made the rookie guard allow several turnovers across the 34 minutes she played, pushing the Liberty to their second win over the Lynx this season.
Emmy-winning sports personality Natalie Esquire posted on X regarding Miles turnover troubles.
“Olivia Miles with five turnovers tonight. You can tell the Liberty are frustrating her.”
The Liberty gave up 16 turnovers, leading to 19 points for the Lynx. In contrast, Minnesota allowed 19 turnovers, which led to the Liberty scoring 21 points. Five of these expensive TOs came courtesy of Olivia Miles. But she is clearly not letting this loss bring her down.
“But yeah, I think the more reps I get at it, I’m pretty confident that I’ll figure it out and be really strong for the next game,” Miles added.
Miles led the team not only in points but also in rebounds and assists, as Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier added 16 and 14 points, respectively. Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams also scored in the double digits, with 11 and 12 points each, but nothing was enough to stop Breanna Stewart and the Liberty’s offensive onslaught. Stewart led the game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, recording her 11th double-double of the season, while Sabrina Ionescu added another 17 points. Stewart also made history by reaching ninth place on the all-time scoring leaderboard.
Despite the loss, Minnesota still sits at the top of the WNBA leaderboard, with a record of 31-10, while the Liberty sit sixth, at 25-16. Olivia Miles and the Lynx will now look to win the remaining three regular-season games to retain their top spot as the league heads into the postseason.
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