Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison briefly played middle linebacker in Sunday’s home game against the Atlanta Dream.
With Toronto trailing Atlanta 52-42 in the third quarter, Harrison grabbed forward Angel Reese, who was trying to establish post position, and dragged her to the ground. The Dream star didn’t retaliate but appeared to scream something at Harrison when she regained her footing.
The initial call was a common foul, but it was upgraded to a flagrant 2 after review, automatically ejecting Harrison. She finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed three rebounds.
Reese, meanwhile, turned in an excellent performance, scoring 15 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, leading the Dream (9-4) to a 102-77 win over the Tempo (7-7). The scuffle, however, will emerge as one of the game’s main storylines. It’s another example of how WNBA officiating crews often fail to safeguard young stars.