Lynx coach Reeve suspended for Game 4 vs. Mercury over ref rant

The WNBA suspended Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve for Sunday's Game 4 of their playoff semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury.

"Her conduct and comments included aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing a game official on the court, failure to leave the court in a timely manner upon her ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans when exiting the court, and remarks made in a postgame press conference," the league said in a statement Saturday.

Reeve took exception to a non-call in the final 24 seconds of Friday's Game 3, when Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas wasn't assessed a foul after colliding with Napheesa Collier on a steal attempt. Collier exited with an apparent ankle injury and didn't return.

Reeve was given a technical foul and ejected for approaching the official in frustration, prompting her coaches to intervene and hold her back. She then criticized the officiating crew postgame, telling reporters it was "f-----g malpractice" to have assigned them to Game 3.

The Lynx coach also called on the WNBA to make a change in its officiating leadership.

Minnesota must win Sunday in Phoenix to keep its season alive. Collier's status for the contest is unknown. However, Reeve said during her postgame comments that the MVP runner-up "probably has a fracture."