Nothing gets WNBA fans into a lather quite like an on-court altercation. Throw in Caitlin Clark, the league’s most popular player, and you get a days-long story that transcends the women’s basketball media sphere.
The Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game on Tuesday, June 17, offered plenty of opportunity for controversy as multiple scuffles broke out. The first came in the third quarter when the Sun’s Jacy Sheldon inadvertently poked Clark in the eye. Sheldon then bumped into Clark, though the contact may have been incidental.
In the heat of the moment, Clark responded with a shove, leading to the Sun’s Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey to both come over and bump into the Fever star. Clark, Mabrey and Charles all earned technical fouls for their actions, while Sheldon was issued a Flagrant 1 foul.
That wasn’t the end of it. In the fourth quarter, Sheldon attempted a layup on a fast break, only for the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham to grab her by the head and force her to the ground. Teammates and coaches immediately got involved as a shoving match ensued.
Lost in it all, the Fever won the game, 88-71, to earn a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game on July 1 against the Minnesota Lynx.
With fines and perhaps suspensions to come, keep scrolling for everything you need to know about a wild night in the W.
Who Was Ejected From the Sun vs. Fever Game?
Jacy Sheldon Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
The only ejections came after the second dust-up. Cunningham was issued a Flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an automatic ejection. Sheldon and the Sun’s Lindsay Allen were also ejected after the officials deemed they escalated the fight.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival has been a headline-making affair — both on and off the court. Clark, 22, made her highly anticipated pro debut with the Indiana Fever on May 14, and since then, her fiercely debated status as the face of the league has continued to take some dramatic twists and turns. Most recently, […]
What Did The Teams Say After?
Neither team had kind words for the officials after, with Fever coach Stephanie White alleging that tempers began escalating in the first quarter.
“I started talking to the officials in the first quarter, and we knew this was going to happen,” she said. “You could tell it was going to happen. So, they’ve got to get control of it. They’ve got to be better.”
Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa seemed to agree.
“Obviously, there was a physical game tonight. I think when things aren’t managed well to begin with that it tends to get out of hand,” she said. “I feel like a lot of stuff was escalating throughout the game, and that’s what happens when you don’t make the proper calls or officiate the game and manage it the right way.”
Sun head coach Rachid Meziane took exception to Cunningham’s foul, which came after the Fever had already assured themselves of a win.
“When you are winning a game by 17 points, and you doing this … for me, [it’s] a stupid foul,” he said.
What Did the Referees Say?
When on-court incidents like this happen in the WNBA, one designated pool reporter typically speaks with the lead official. In this case, Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star asked crew chief Ashley Gloss to explain each flagrant and technical foul, and each ejection.
Gloss broke down the fouls by Sheldon and Cunningham specifically.
“In the judgement of the officials, the foul by Sheldon was unnecessary, the contact to Clark’s face,” she said. “Furthermore, there was wind up and impact, and the contact to the face carries a potential for injury.”
“The altercation that occurred after the foul by Sophie, we ruled it as a fight,” she added. “Sheldon and Lindsay Allen were both escalators in that altercation and therefore they were ejected for fighting.”
What Comes Next?
It’s not clear if anything will come from this beyond fines, which we know are coming. The WNBA assesses a $200 fine for a player’s first three technical fouls of the season, according to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Fines for flagrant fouls are imposed at the league’s discretion with Flagrant 1 fouls resulting in a $200 fine and a $400 fine for a Flagrant 2, with the potential for more.
