The WNBA has made several adjustments to the punishments handed out in Tuesday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun, during which tensions boiled over several times
Caitlin Clark was hit in the face during a tense moment in Tuesday’s game between the Fever and Sun(Image: Getty Images)
The WNBA has owned up to its officiating mistakes in Tuesday’s heated game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.
As the clock ticked down in the Fever’s dominant 88-71 win on Tuesday, Sophie Cunningham’s aggressive foul on Jacy Sheldon sparked a heated altercation involving players from both squads.
The game had already seen its share of tension when Caitlin Clark and Sheldon exchanged verbal blows before the latter hit the former on the head — prompting Fever head coach Stephanie White to call out the WNBA’s referees for their handling of the game.
With just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Clark was swatted in the face by Sheldon, who was promptly shoved back by the 23-year-old. In response, Marina Mabrey forcefully bumped the Fever phenom and sent her crashing to the hardwood.
Immediately following the tense moment, officials issued Clark and Mabrey technical fouls, while Sheldon was hit with a Flagrant 1 foul. But one day later, the WNBA informed ESPN that Mabrey’s tech has been upgraded to a Flagrant 2, which comes with a standard fine.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info
In an apparent retaliatory move, Cunningham wrapped up Sheldon and dragged her to the floor as the 24-year-old drove hard to the basket during the fourth quarter. She was swiftly tossed from the game and has reportedly also been fined separately.
Speaking to reporters during a postgame press conference, White conveyed her vexation toward WNBA referees for letting the game slip away. “I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, right?” she said.
Marina Mabrey sent Caitlin Clark crashing to the hardwood in Tuesday’s game(Image: Getty Images)
“When the officials don’t get control of the ballgame, when they allow that stuff to happen — and it’s been happening all season long, all season long, it’s not just this game, it’s been happening all season long — this is what happens, right? This is what happens.
“You’ve got competitive women who are the best in the world at what they do, right? And when you allow them to play physical, and you allow these things to happen, they’re gonna compete, and they’re gonna have their teammates’ backs.
“It’s exactly what you expect out of fierce competition,” White continued.
“So I started talking to the officials in the first quarter, and we knew this was gonna happen. You could tell it was gonna happen. So they gotta get control of it, they gotta be better. They gotta be better.”
Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa expressed a similar sentiment, adding: “Obviously it was a physical game tonight. I think when things aren’t managed well to begin with, it tends to get out of hand, and that’s what happened. That’s what was shown tonight.
“I think it goes with managing both teams on the court, managing calls and fouls. Making sure that things aren’t just added fuel to the fire throughout the game to where we have situations like this happen.”
