Well a situation like what is going on with the OP wouldn't happen with me in the first place for a number of reasons. One, I only get into relationships with men who I desire sexually, and once in such a relationship I do not withhold sex. I've never been that way. I have always thought women who withhold sex are doing themselves 2 disservices. Firstly they are denying themselves sex and the accompanying bonding...and second they are giving their man an excuse to seek physical affection elsewhere (which I consider a foolish thing to do.) Historically and currently I have relationships with men who lots of other women find desirable...and such men can easily seek physical gratification elsewhere to the detriment of the relationship. I can too for that matter. So for all those reasons I do not use sex as a bargaining chip/negotiating tool. I think women who do are shortsighted and shoot themselves in the foot. Maybe these women date or marry men who do not have other options or who are too meek to exercise their options. That is on the man. Those are not men I deal with, but I'm not going to say that isn't a factor in the dynamics between other people.
To be honest there have been occasions when Silence and Distance have been deployed against me in relationship. There are times when I am out of line and withdrawal of attention is the sensisble thing for the man to do. And I have been known to deploy Silence and Distance myself from time to time. Whether I am utilizing it or whether my man is the result is the same. It makes the other person stop and consider the value they assign to the relationship and to the other person. If there is no value then things are simple, and the solution may be to walk away. If however there is value, then I will turn over the issue at hand in my mind and give things quite a bit of thought. If upon reflection I think I am out of line, then I have been known to reach out, extend the olive branch, apologize and invite reconciliation. I don't chase, but I'll state clearly that I am out of line, and that I am contrite and wait to see if my communication starts a conversation (seeking a resolution to whatever the issue happens to be.) If I do not think I am out of line then I am content to wait and see if my man reaches out to me. In my experience for example in my current relationship the party who has been out of line is the one to initiate the conversation which leads to resolution (and resolution may be an agreement to disagree on occasion.) Neither of us is naive and both of us know the game very well. We also appreciate the things we each bring to the table and have to offer one another. In other words we both see the value the other one has and we know that finding someone else who is as good an individual match is no small feat so there is incentive to work through things.
But we communicate rather well and are not afraid to tackle prickly issues head on. I can't think of a time I would consider either he or I as angry in any sort of out of control way. Displeased? You bet. Annoyed? Yes. Disrespected? Yup. But we sit down together and discuss what happened, we both listen to understand, we neither one put up with deflection, blaming or projection (we call each other out on that type of thing immediately)...and we are extremely direct in what we say to one another, even though it may be a hard thing for the other person to hear. The result of that type of communication is self-respect and respect for each other. Just earlier this evening we were chatting and my boyfriend made a comment about how he appreciates the way we communicate and how he likes the way I hold him accountable and expect him to meet my standard. He's not had that before, and while it certainly has not been a cakewalk, he sees the value and the self-respect I have, and therefore he acts with respect toward me (it has increased over time rather than decreased) and greater self-respect.
If he is annoyed about something he will say so without hesitation. I make it a habit to listen closely if he expresses annoyance and I seek to understand WHY he is annoyed. He does the same when I have a bone to pick with him. At times I don't get what the big deal is...and vice versa. But it is still important to listen and understand where the other person is coming from. Then a conversation ensues that facilitates better understanding of each other, whether or not he and I agree. We don't always agree. And that's OK. We are two different people. We aren't going to be in lockstep on everything. Sometimes THAT is the tougher thing to digest. But digest it we must.
I do not see that level of maturity in the scenario put forth by the OP. But I do think Silence and Distance is a useful thing to do for the reasons noted. It works on me and it works on men who I date. It works because it makes the other person consider the value of the other party and the relationship itself. And it is best done from a place of conscious choice and self control. Not as a game playing thing and not as a knee jerk thing.