Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve: Officials needed to be in better control Tuesday vs. Wings

Two days after the Lynx's victory over Dallas at Target Center ended with high emotions, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve still believes that flagrant foul for closing out on Satou Sabally's three-pointer that got Bridget Carleton ejected was a good call. And that the fans who were ejected for reveling in Sabally's foot/ankle injury, which took her from the game and kept her out of Thursday's rematch, deserved that fate.

But she also thinks — and has communicated with the WNBA — that the officials could have done a better job managing the game.

"It was a big miss to get a better handle on what was happening in the game," Reeve said before Thursday's rematch with the Wings in Dallas. "Including players shouting into the stands."

Carleton was called for two flagrant fouls, which meant an automatic ejection that came with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the game far from decided. Injured on the play, Sabally was heckled by fans and posted angrily about it after the game ended.

But emotions were already high. It was an intense, physical game between two teams fighting for playoff position. Before Sabally was hurt, she was whistled for a technical for shoving Carleton with 2:25 to play.

Before the incident that got Carleton and the fans ejected, there were Wings players already interacting with the fans.

"These things don't happen if we're more in tune with what's going on," Reeve said. "Certainly we shouldn't have to beg the officials to get players under control."