Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, a four-time WNBA coach of the year and four-time champion, confronted Connecticut Sun players near the locker room on Sunday after Game 1 of the teams’ semifinal series, league sources said.

Reeve’s altercation with Sun players occurred as they walked to the opponent’s locker room in Minneapolis, with the 2024 coach and manager having doubts about how Connecticut celebrated its series-opening win, the sources said.

She “encountered Sun players,” a source said of the incident described, and arena security had to intervene to defuse the scene.

The WNBA did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. According to two team sources, the league is aware of the incident.

The athlete I also reached out to Lynx and Sun for comment.

Game 1 of the Lynx-Sun series ended on the final possession, with Minnesota star Napheesa Collier missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer with one second remaining in the contest. As it came to a close, Connecticut star Alyssa Thomas moved, screamed and marched to her team’s sideline to celebrate the victory.

Thomas was one assist short of a triple-double and finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Connecticut’s win.

“We had to be disruptive,” Connecticut coach Stephanie White said after Game 1. “We had to try to force them to take awkward shots and understand that they were going to make awkward shots, and when they did, we didn’t let them . “that brings us down.”

In two games in the series there was a lot of tension between the two teams, whose regular season encounters were decided by a total of four points. At some point in the second game, Sun guard Marina Mabrey collided with Lynx guard Bridget Carleton early in the second quarter, resulting in a foul and sticking out her foot to trip Carleton.

Later in the second quarter, Mabrey dove for a loose ball and landed on Collier, who pushed Mabrey away. Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen then stepped in for Collier and pushed Mabrey aside. Minnesota guard Kayla McBride later drew a technical in Game 2 after taunting Mabrey following a basket shot.

“We had an aggression about us that was necessary,” Reeve said after Minensota’s 77-70 win in Game 2. “When you play against these guys, you have to be physically and mentally strong because they definitely are. “

Game 3 began with a 1-1 tie in Connecticut at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday.

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(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)