Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark Claps Back After Getting Aggressively Poked in the Face

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan D Adams | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 9:42 PM ET

Things turned physical on multiple occasions between Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon during the Indiana Fever's matchup against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. The intensity picked up even more in the third quarter after Sheldon poked Clark in the face.

The play resulted in multiple technical fouls and a flagrant on Sheldon. A frustrated Clark responded by pushing Sheldon after the incident which prompted Marina Mabrey to enter the fray and shove the Fever superstar.

This physical altercation resulted in three technical fouls. Clark and Sheldon's rivalry dates back to their college basketball days when the Iowa Hawkeyes had heated battles with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Back in Sept. 2024, Sheldon praised Clark despite their ongoing rivalry.

“She’s a really good player, everybody sees it,” Sheldon said at the time, per ClutchPoints. “You just look forward to those matchups when you’re a competitor… She can really pass.

"She can pass the crap out of the ball. That’s what makes her so hard to guard honestly. You kind of got to pick your battles… But obviously she's a great player.”

Here is a look at the play that has social media buzzing as the intensity ramped up in the WNBA matchup.

Marina Mabrey shoves Caitlin Clark to the floor pic.twitter.com/bLiXgKAf8U
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) June 18, 2025

Here is a another angle of Clark getting shoved in the face.

A BIG dust up between the Fever and Sun as Jacy Sheldon pokes Caitlin Clark in the eye, then Clark reacts with a shove.

A lot more people get involved, and Marina Mabrey knocks CC to the ground.

Officials are reviewing. pic.twitter.com/ossV4kU6DV
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 18, 2025

This incident followed a second quarter altercation where Clark had words with Sheldon before the Fever guard pushed her. Here is a recap of the technical fouls that were assessed in the incident.

Caitlin Clark, Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey were all assessed technical fouls after this play.

Jacy Sheldon was assessed a Flagrant 1. pic.twitter.com/okfTpJjRS7
— ESPN (@espn) June 18, 2025

There were no ejections as things got heated in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup matchup.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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