Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright isn't blaming officials for her team's 110-80 loss to the New York Liberty on Friday night. After yet another early-season game marked by frustration at referees from both sides, though, she made a passionate, public plea for improved performance and accountability from WNBA officials, inevitable fine be damned.

Wright pointedly criticized officiating league-wide following Atlanta's blowout loss to Breanna Stewart and the Liberty, taking special exception to an elbow from New York center Stefanie Dolson that drew blood from a Dream defender, but was only assessed a flagrant-1 foul.

“I don't understand how that wasn't a flagrant-2. I really don't. I don't understand it,” Wright said, per Meghan Hall of Hall About Sports. “They're gonna fine me for this, but I'm challenging them to rise their standards. Their standards need to rise. They cannot come into these games and not be at the best level that they need to be at, especially when these athletes are playing like they're playing. Officiating needs to get better, period. There's no ifs, ands or buts about that. They need to do a better job.”

Despite stellar campaigns from veteran guard Allisha Gray and reigning Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard, Atlanta is just 5-7 on the season, seventh in the WNBA standings.

Better officiating alone wouldn't fix what ails the Dream. As women's basketball continues exploding in terms of both quality and popularity, though, Wright knows both her players and all of their competitors throughout the W deserve more from referees.

“Officiating has been notoriously bad all year. I've never sat up here and blamed officials, and I won't blame officials,” Wright said. “But we're expected to play at a high level every single night. On both sides, these athletes put in a lot of work to perfect their craft, and the officials need to be able to rise to that same occasion. They should be held to that same standard. This league has a standard, and they need to rise to that standard.”