Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark has faced her share of physical challenges throughout her debut WNBA season, and Wednesday night’s game against the Connecticut Sun added another to the list. During the third quarter, Clark was tracking a Sun player when Connecticut’s center, Alyssa Thomas, set a hard pick on the perimeter that sent Clark to the floor. Clark made heavy contact with Thomas’ shoulder and hit the court hard.
The referees quickly blew the whistle, calling an offensive foul on Thomas, but it was ruled as a common foul, not a flagrant one. This incident is not the first time Clark has been on the receiving end of rough play this season. She has been subjected to two flagrant fouls, both occurring in games against the Chicago Sky. The first instance was in early June when Chennedy Carter knocked Clark to the floor. Initially called a common foul, the WNBA later upgraded it to a flagrant. Carter defended her actions, stating that it was simply a “basketball play.”
Another similar incident happened later in the season when Carter’s teammate, fellow rookie Angel Reese, struck Clark in the head while attempting to block a shot during another Fever-Sky matchup. Clark once again hit the floor hard, and after a review, Reese was assessed a flagrant foul. Reese, like Carter, claimed her actions were part of a normal basketball play.
Despite these physical setbacks, Clark continues to excel. In the first quarter of Wednesday’s game, she broke the WNBA rookie single-season record for three-pointers by sinking a 26-foot stepback shot over DiJonai Carrington. Clark’s record-breaking performance contributed to the Fever’s hard-fought 84-80 victory over the Sun, further solidifying her remarkable rookie season.
