It was another solid performance by Caitlin Clark Wednesday night as she helped lead the Fever to a second straight victory after coming back from injury. She provided 20 points and six assists in an 88-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun. It was, however, what happened after the whistle that people continue to talk about.
It was in the third quarter, when Jacy Sheldon was guarding Clark and hit her in the eye. After Clark reacted, Sun guard Marina Mabrey knocked Clark to the ground. Clark was assessed a technical, while Mabrey and fellow Sun player Tina Charles were also given technicals. Sheldon was given a flagrant one.
Fever/Sun was lit tonight pic.twitter.com/HtzYrFpk4K
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Mabrey though who hit Clark hard was not ejected by the officials. However, unlike the cheap shots from a season ago that were aimed at Clark, the Indiana Fever seemed to react and defend the global star.
Caitlin Clark's team came to her defense
Guard Lexie Hull immediately got into Sheldon's face after the incident, and another moment was aimed at Sheldon later in the game. Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul against Sheldon towards the end of the game. Both Sheldon and Cunningham got into and were ejected. Why Cunningham was ejected and not Mabrey earlier seems questionable.
Fever head coach Stephanie White reacted to the officiating. "It was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, 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. It's not just this game, it's been happening all season long," White said after the game.
It was refreshing to see players such as Hull and Cunningham defend Clark. It was also refreshing to see White call out the officiating. It is not the first time, as White called out the officiating after the Atlanta Dream played the Fever earlier in the year.
It does speak to a growing issue as to how the league as a whole seems to not be handling the popularity and animosity aimed at Clark well. The league suffered with her absence, as ratings dipped by 50 percent while she was injured. If incidents while she is on the court are not cleaned up, the product of the WNBA will suffer.
The league needs to get a handle on either fights or cheap shots aimed at Clark or other star players. Possibly if White continues to call out the officiating and incidents that occur, it may force the league hands to change course.
"You could tell it was going to happen, so they've got to get control of it. They've got to be better," said White.
The league should get better and also will need to look at incidents like the one that occurred last night. But Clark should rest easier knowing that Hull, Cunningham and White have her back.