The Fever and Mercury played an eventful first game earlier this week that saw several technical fouls handed out, including Caitlin Clark’s fifth of the season, and an ejection after Myisha Hines-Allen was called for her second technical of the game.
The rematch was no less uneventful. Clark exited the game with back pain about halfway through the third quarter after taking some hard falls throughout the game, including a foul on a 3-pointer that was reviewed for a reckless closeout, but not upgraded, and a scramble for a loose ball that ended with Alyssa Thomas pushing a fist into Clark’s throat, which was not called or reviewed.
Stephanie White was understandably upset in the postgame media availability and called out the officiating. After all, what coach wouldn’t be frustrated if their superstar player frequently hit the deck in the same game and had to leave a close game early? The hit in the throat is especially egregious because it was not a basketball play—it even happened after Clark had already rolled the ball away from Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, and Lexi Held to Aliyah Boston. It’s definitely something the league has to review, even with the game long over. Cracking down on unnecessary physicality has been a focal point this season, so this isn’t something the league should let slide.
“You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that still happens,” White said. “Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded. Absolutely disrespectful. We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called.”
She also added, “The fist in the throat, is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”
Indiana ended up losing the game
The Fever entered the fourth quarter with a three-point lead, but the Mercury outscored them 29-24 in the fourth and got away with the two-point win behind a 28-point performance from Kahleah Copper. Alyssa Thomas pitched in 24 points, and Valeriane Ayayi finished the game with 19 points.
Clark played well before she had to exit the game. She scored 19 points in just 20 minutes on 5-9 shooting from the field, 3-4 from three, and 6-6 from the free-throw line. She also had eight assists. The game could have ended very differently if Clark had been available to play down the stretch to give the Fever an offensive boost.
The Fever will have to face the Kelsey-Plum-less Sparks on Saturday, but then they don’t have another game until the first July weekend. Those days off will hopefully help with Clark’s back, which has been an issue all season long.
Add us as a preferred source on Google