Fever coach rips WNBA officials after Caitlin Clark involved in scuffle with Sun players

Tempers flared aggregate times during the Indiana Fever’s triumph implicit the Connecticut Sun connected Tuesday with Caitlin Clark being astatine the halfway of the escapades erstwhile again.

Clark and Sun defender Jacy Sheldon were getting chippy astatine the opening of the game, but it was not until the 3rd 4th that tensions boiled over. Sheldon poked Clark successful the eye, and it acceptable disconnected a skirmish that ended with Sun defender Marina Mabrey shoving Clark to the ground.

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Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, is deed by Connecticut Sun defender Marina Mabrey, #3, during a scuffle successful the 2nd fractional of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham, #8, and Connecticut Sun defender Jacy Sheldon, #4, scuffle successful the 2nd fractional of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Clark, for immoderate reason, was assessed a method foul during the incident, arsenic was Mabrey and Sun seasoned Tina Charles. Sheldon’s communal foul was upgraded to a flagrant.

It was not the lone incidental arsenic Fever defender Sophie Cunningham delivered a hard foul onto Sheldon, who reacted angrily. There was a ton of pushing and shoving on the baseline and officials aboriginal ejected Cunningham, Sheldon and Lindsay Allen.

Fever caput manager Stephanie White was nary excessively blessed with the officials aft the game. She said she did not person immoderate mentation for the method foul connected Clark and enactment the onus connected the officials to get power of the crippled successful its aboriginal stages.

"I deliberation it was beauteous evident that worldly was brewing," White said, via Indy Star. "When officials don’t get power of the shot game, erstwhile they let that worldly to hap … it’s been happening each play long, each play long. It’s not conscionable this game.

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"This is what happens. You’ve got competitory women who are the champion successful the satellite astatine what they bash and erstwhile you let them to play physical, and you let these things to happen, they’re gonna compete, and they’re gonna person their teammates’ backs. It’s precisely what you would expect retired of fierce competition.

"I started talking to officials successful the archetypal quarter, and we knew this was gonna happen. You knew this was gonna happen. They gotta get power of it. They gotta beryllium better. They gotta beryllium better."

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, is fouled by Connecticut Sun halfway Kariata Diaby, #23, successful the 2nd fractional of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Crew main Ashley Gross spoke to a excavation newsman aft the crippled and was asked astir the Clark method foul.

"After the foul by Sheldon, Clark reacted successful an unsportsmanlike manner," Goss said.

White said each manager brings officiating issues up during league meetings and understands the occupation is getting tougher, but officials request to find a mode to remedy their calls with the ever-changing league.

"The crippled has changed truthful much. Players are faster, they’re better, they’re bigger, they’re stronger, they’re arsenic bully arsenic they’ve ever been, arsenic diversion arsenic they’ve ever been. The crippled is fast, now. Things are happening quickly," White said. "Everyone is getting better, but the officials. So we gotta find a mode to remedy it. 

"We’ve heard each manager speech astir it. I don’t cognize what the reply is."

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Indiana won the game 88-71.

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