MINNEAPOLIS -- The disappointment and emotion were still raw when Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve walked into the postgame news conference with Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus. Defense and rebounding, two things the Lynx are known for, failed them in the fourth quarter when they absolutely needed it, costing them the back-to-back WNBA titles they sought to complete their dynastic résumé.Reeve began her opening remarks by congratulating the Sparks on their 77-76 victory and WNBA title, and expressed pride in her own players. Then she addressed something that has been simmering with her and other WNBA coaches for years: the quality of the leagues officiating.A controversial no-call on what looked to be a 24-second violation on Nneka Ogwumikes turnaround jumper from the right baseline with 1 minute, 12 seconds to play -- which put the Sparks ahead 73-71 -- was at the heart of the criticism. The officials initially signaled for a review, but it never happened.I thought I saw them do this, said Moore, meaning a review. But they didnt. It doesnt mean anything now.This followed an egregious mistake in Game 4, when officials overlooked a backcourt violation on the Lynx with 26.1 seconds left and Minnesota up by two. The next day the league admitted the refs blew it and apologized.That two such errors could occur in the final two games of a close, hard-fought championship series angered Reeve.Nneka Ogwumikes shot was not good, Reeve said. It was reviewable at the time when she shot it. The referees at that point didnt think anything was wrong. They didnt understand it was the end of the clock. They didnt hear the shot clock.Reeve continued, her voice rising: Its really unfortunate that players continually put themselves out there playing and competing at a really high level, whether it was the eight-second call in the game in L.A. -- doesnt matter, OK? The game today, its not fair to the players. Its not enough just to apologize and send out a memo that they got something wrong, OK? These players are so invested, and something must be done about the officiating in this league because it is not fair to these great players that we have.A photo tweeted postgame by Lynx associate head coach Jim Petersen showed the ball still in Ogwumikes hand with the shot clock at zero.Asked how the league might fix the problem, Reeve said: I dont get paid enough to have to do somebody elses job, too. Just get the simple things right. Simple. Eight-second call, shot-clock violation. Get the simple things right and well live with the other stuff that happens in a game.Reeve soon circled back to the reason the Lynx lost: their inability to defend and rebound at crunch time.In the fourth quarter the Sparks shot 55 percent and outrebounded the team with the best rebounding percentage in the league 10-5. It seemed unfathomable that the Lynx gave up 14 offensive rebounds on the night -- two on the possession with Ogwumikes game-winning putback -- to a team that ranked 10th in the league in rebounding.Its unfortunate, said Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson, who was denied a record fifth WNBA title. We knew the keys to the game would be defense and rebounding. I feel like in the last five minutes we werent getting the stops we needed. Then it came down to a rebound. But we knew those were going to be the keys. We just didnt get it done.The sellout crowd of 19,423 stood and screamed as the Lynx, trailing by eight with 3:06 to play, suddenly came to life. Moore, whose 23 points and 11 assists nearly stole the game for Minnesota, hit a technical foul shot, then a left wing 3-pointer around a screen. Moore found Brunson (nine points, nine rebounds) for a short turnaround. Then Lindsay Whalen stole a Kristi Toliver pass and drove for a layup. Eight points in 61 seconds. Tie score.More big shots followed. Ogwumikes disputed jumper. Augustus with a trademark left-wing pull-up. Then Brunson, making the second of two foul shots for a 74-73 lead with 23.4 seconds to play. The Lynx seemed on the verge of a miracle.But there would be no league record-tying fourth title, and no back-to-back championship. In those final seconds the Lynx couldnt stop Candace Parker (28 points and 12 rebounds), who drove for a layup with 19.7 seconds left, or league MVP Ogwumike, who showed the same tenacity on that final possession the Lynx exhibited for six years.They scored at will in the paint in the second half, Reeve said. We had them at 34 percent [from the field] in the first half. We were defending our tails off. Then in the second half, we didnt get it done. If we go look at a shot chart right now, its not going to be pretty.Lynx center Sylvia Fowles, who dislocated a finger in the third quarter but kept playing, fought back tears in the locker room. So did Moore, Brunson and almost everyone else. Whalen hugged each player individually, then slumped at her locker. Janel McCarville, her teammate at the University of Minnesota, put an arm around her, but Whalen was inconsolable.I think we answered L.A.s calls, Fowles said. They answered our calls. Unfortunately it came down to a one-possession game. In a situation like that, you should never be up by one possession with a team like Los Angeles. Youve got to give them credit for coming out and playing today, especially in that environment. Clint Dempsey Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Dax McCarty Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. 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Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Cobb wasnt sure if he should be elated or disappointed. The Tampa Bay pitcher struck out 13 in fewer than five innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. The Rays won 6-3, however Cobb didnt feel as though hed truly done his job. "I dont know if thats a good thing," Cobb said when told hed become the first player in major league history to fan that many batters and fail to make it through the fifth. "As a starting pitcher, you want to go at least five innings every time out." The right-hander left after throwing 117 pitches. He recorded 12 of 14 outs on strikeouts -- four of them in the third, when a wild pitch on strike three allowed Will Venable to reach base. The other outs were recorded on grounders to shortstop in the first and third base in the fourth. "I cant really explain why or how that happened. It was just one of those weird days," Cobb said. "Obviously, thats not my goal. I never go into a game trying to strike everybody out. I was trying to put balls over the plate and have them make weak contact, and they were swinging and missing." The Padres struck out 18 times overall. "He had his changeup going and it was tough to differentiate that from the fastball, and he had us on our heels the whole night," Venable said. "He pitched really well, and we just werent able to make the adjustment." Roberts and Zobrist both delivered two-run singles in the seventh, when reliever Dale Thayer (0-2) inherited a 3-2 lead from Padres starter Edinson Volquez. Jake McGee (1-2) pitched one inning for the victory, and Fernando Rodney worked a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. Venable and Carlos Quentin hit solo homers off Cobb in the first for San Diego. Chris Denorfia also singled twice off the Tampa Bay starter, who allowed three runs, five hits, one walk and hit a batter. Trailing 3-2, Cobb struck out Chase Headley and Quentin to begin the fifth. He was removed after walking Yonder Alonso, ending a streak of Tampa Bay starting pitchers working at least five innings in every game this season at 34 -- the second-longest stretch to begin a season behind the 1981 Pittsburgh Pirates (45). Rays manager Joe Maddon had no regrets about not allowing Cobb to continue. "I just could not permit it and feel good about myself at that point. His career is way too important to him and his family and to us," Maddon said. "At the end of the day its about the Rays.dddddddddddd And for me, its about the future of these players. ... To have him injure himself because hes going to throw 125 pitches in five innings, that would be on me. You have to be careful at that point." Umpires Fieldin Culbreth, Brian ONora, Bill Welke and Adrian Johnson worked the game. Earlier in the day, Major League Baseball suspended Culbreth for two games because he was in charge of the crew when it allowed Astros manager Bo Porter to improperly switch relievers in the middle of an inning on Thursday. Culbreth, ONora, Welke and Johnson were also fined an undisclosed amount after MLB admitted its umpires made a mistake for the second straight day. Culbreth told a pool reporter after Fridays game that he takes "all the responsibility" for what happened. As for the discipline? "I look at it that baseball has high standards for their umpires and I have high standards for myself and I didnt meet those standards last night, so I am absolutely OK with everything," Culbreth said. Cobb had nine strikeouts in the first three innings. He worked an extended third, when his wild pitch enabled Venable to reach base. The Padres centre fielder stole second and third base, then scored on a balk to make it 3-0. The Rays starter became the second Tampa Bay pitcher to fan four batters in an inning, joining Jeremy Hellickson, who did it against Detroit on Aug. 25, 2011. Volquez allowed three runs and three hits in six innings. Evan Longoria had two of the hits off the right-hander, including a RBI single in the third. Tampa Bay a second run in the third on a wild pitch. NOTES: RHP Burch Smith will make his major league debut for the Padres on Saturday night. The 23-year-old was called up from Double-A San Antonio, where he was 1-2 with a 1.15 ERA in six starts. Manager Bud Black has seen Smith pitch only once, in the 2011 Arizona Instructional League, and Smith has not pitched at the Triple-A level. "Im happy for him," Black said. "Our minor league people thought that he was the guy, so well see it (Saturday)." ... The Rays placed RHP Brandon Gomes on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 8, with a strained muscle in his right side. To fill his spot in the bullpen, RHP Josh Lueke was recalled from Triple-A Durham. ... Tampa Bay C Jose Molina is day to day with a bruised right knee. He was injured when he was hit by a foul tip during Thursday nights victory over Toronto. ' ' '