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Tuesday's Sun-Fever game got physical, especially around Caitlin Clark. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon have some bad blood.
And tensions escalated Tuesday night thanks to multiple run-ins in a physical game that resulted in repeated scuffles and multiple ejections between Clark's Indiana Fever and Sheldon's Connecticut Sun. An eye-poke of Clark pushed things over the edge.
With the Fever leading 55-45 midway through the third quarter, Clark took possession of the ball over halfcourt. She dribbled over the 3-point line near the free-throw line with Sheldon guarding her closely. Both players initiated contact.
Sheldon reached up with her right hand and poked Clark in the eye, drawing a personal foul. Clark recoiled. Sheldon then bumped Clark, and Clark shoved her away. Then Connecticut's Marina Mabrey approached Clark from behind and shoved her to the court.
The situation quickly de-escalated as Clark stood up from the ground. Officials then went to the monitor to suss things out.
Several minutes later, the verdict was in. Sheldon's foul for swiping Clark in the face was elevated to a flagrant 1. Clark was issued a technical foul her response.
Connecticut's Tina Charles, who rushed to approach Clark after Clark's exchange with Sheldon, was also issued an offsetting technical foul. And Mabrey was issued a technical foul for shoving Clark to the court.
The result was one technical and two flagrant foul free throws for Clark and possession for the Fever. Clark hit all three free throws to extend the Fever lead to 58-45. Indiana went on to an 87-71 win.
Nobody was ejected. Yet.
The incident wasn't the first between or the last between the two teams.
How it started
During a dead ball early in the second quarter, Clark and Sheldon exchanged words while walking from the sideline. Clark shoved Sheldon, prompting a brief exchange of words among the players on the court.
No foul was called. But the incident set the tone for a physical game that ultimately boiled over in the third quarter and again in the fourth.
How it ended
With the Fever leading, 87-70 in the final minute, Indiana's Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon as Sheldon attempted a breakaway layup. Cunningham grabbed Sheldon as Sheldon approached the basket, and Sheldon fell to the ground.
This time, another, more physical scuffle ensued. As did multiple ejections.
After going to the monitor, officials issued Cunningham a flagrant 2 penalty that comes with an automatic ejection. Sheldon was issued a technical foul and ejected for fighting, as was Connecticut's Lindsay Allen.
Players from each team hit a free throw, and the game mercifully ended seconds later with the Fever securing a 17-point win.
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