INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark got clobbered in the head on a flagrant foul by Angel Reese, and she wasn’t going to give her archrival the satisfaction of letting anyone know if she might have been bothered by it.
Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s Fever-Sky matinee, Clark was driving to the basket and found herself the recipient of a forearm to the side of the head.
After the Fever closed out a 91-83 victory, in which Clark scored 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting along with eight rebounds and nine assists, she was asked what was going through her mind when Reese was called for a flagrant foul.
Angel Reese (5) of the Sky was called for a flagrant 1 foul for hitting the Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) in the head on a drive to the basket on Sunday in the third quarter.CBS
“What’s going through my mind? I need to make these two free throws. That’s all I’m thinking about. It’s just part of basketball. It is what it is,” Clark said.
“She’s trying to make a play on the ball, and get the block. It happens.”
It’s a basketball play. I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight,” she said.
“I’m always going for the ball. Y’all are going to play that clip, what, 20 times before Monday?”
It was the second straight game against the Sky during which Clark had been flagrant fouled, after the infamous play where Sky guard Chennedy Carter hip-checked her in a non-basketball play earlier this month.
Another view of Angel Reese’s flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark.CBS
Carter’s hip-check was called a common foul at the time and later upgraded to a flagrant 1 by the WNBA league office.
Fever coach Christie Sides was relieved that Reese’s forearm was called a flagrant in real time.
“I was really proud of how the team all kept their composure,” Sides said.
“The right call was made in that moment. Flagrant 1. Two free throws and the ball. Just make the right call in those moments and we can move forward.”
Angel Reese (5) reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark (22) on Sunday.Getty Images
Angel Reese (5) defends Caitlin Clark (22) on Sunday.Getty Images
Clark and Reese have a rivalry that dates back to their time in college at Iowa and LSU, respectively.
During the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Reese taunted Clark with the John Cena “You can’t see me” gesture as LSU was closing out its national championship win over Iowa, and in April Clark and Iowa got their revenge when they knocked LSU out of the Elite Eight.
Clark was asked after the game about why her rivalry with Reese draws so much attention.
I think it’s just the emotion and the passion that we play with,” Clark said.
“I think people love to see that. That’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports, and I think it should be. That’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s gonna get a little feisty. It’s gonna get physical. But at the end of the day, both teams are just trying to win.
“I think what she’s done with her platform is absolutely incredible. She has an entire fan base that has supported her from what she did at Maryland and LSU. I’ve played her for a very long time, and she’s been a tremendous player. It’s been fun getting to compete again. It’s been great for the game. People just love seeing great matchups but also at the same time people tune in for these matchups, and then they see how amazing these teams are, and then they find new players to support, and continue to come back for them too.”
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