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Fever's Sophie Cunningham Sends Message to Caitlin Clark, Teammates After Confrontation vs. Mystics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated May 4, 2025 1:04 AM ET

The WNBA preseason began on Saturday with the Indiana Fever hosting the Washington Mystics and securing a 79-74 win over coach Sydney Johnson's team.

Fever superstar Caitlin Clark did not play, providing an opportunity for guard Sophie Cunningham to lead her team with 21 points on the evening.

After the game, Cunningham shared her thoughts on a series of tense moments in Saturday's contest that included her plan for meeting them head on.

"I might need to try and hit the weight room...That was not good but (Fever teammate Dewanna Bonner) had my back and that's what it's all about," Cunningham said about a scuffle that saw her get pushed in the back by the Mystics' Brittany Sykes.

Her teammate Dewanna Bonner came to her defense as she got up off the hardwood at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

sophie on the heated moments in today’s game:

“i might need to try and hit the weight room... that was not good but [dewanna bonner] had my back and that’s what it’s all about. we have a huge target on our backs, i don’t think that’s a secret.” pic.twitter.com/0ONtBNYo35
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) May 3, 2025

Video of the scuffle surfaced on the Web as fans proclaimed that the WNBA and the Fever are officially back, despite the exhibition nature of the contest.

Dewanna Bonner gets mad at Brittney Sykes for pushing Sophie Cunningham

This game has been intense

The WNBA is back! pic.twitter.com/JH47Gn0DXJ
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) May 3, 2025