Tuesday night's WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Suns saw sparks flying as Fever star Caitlin Clark was involved in an altercation with Suns guard Jacy Sheldon. Matters went south after Clark was hit in the face, seeing the situation escalate almost immediately.
Sheldon, who had been guarding the Fever guard rather aggressively all game, was called for a foul after an attempt at stealing the ball went wrong. Clark responded to getting smacked in the face by shoving the Suns guard away, forcing chaos to ensue.
this league treats her like a punching bag pic.twitter.com/c76w3qAjLY
— chris (@chrisclxrk) June 18, 2025
The Suns' frontcourt pair of Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey charged at the Fever guard, bumping her and dropping her to the floor. The Fever players on the court gradually came to Clark's aid, and after an official review, three technical fouls were called.
Clark has been on the receiving end of many hard fouls. What has also coincidentally contributed to her greatness is her ability to bounce back from them and land her punches on the court.
Shortly after sinking the three technical foul free throws, the Fever star was handed the ball on the top of the key, and with one dribble to her left, Clark sank a huge three-pointer over Sheldon. Needless to say, the guard had to let her defender know about the shot as well.
she got her revenge btw if you missed it pic.twitter.com/4CV0qQ0CKc
— chris (@chrisclxrk) June 18, 2025
Clark dominated on Tuesday night, leading the Fever to a blowout 88-71 win over the Suns. The Fever guard racked up 20 points and six assists on the night. She was closely supported by Natasha Howard, who dropped a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelsey Mitchell, who put up 17 points for the night.
The Suns saw a solid performance by Tina Charles, who had 20 points for the night, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa contributed another 14. Meanwhile, Sheldon, the primary defender on Clark, notched two points, three assists, and two rebounds for the game.
While the support from her teammates on the offensive front was helpful, the Fever also saw Sophie Cunningham step in to take revenge for the hard foul on Clark. In the closing moments of the final frame, Sheldon made a steal and ran down the court to score. This was cut short by Cunningham, who wrapped Sheldon up under the basket in a foul.
The matter escalated yet again, and Cunningham and Sheldown got into a shoving match. Both players were ejected shortly after. Cunningham ended the game with five points and seven rebounds to her name.
Finally a teammate got Caitlin Clark’s back after the assault she’s taken tonight. Sophie Cunningham you are a G. #wnba pic.twitter.com/YABrJPsMO1
— Matthew Barnett (@MatthewBarnett) June 18, 2025
Caitlin Clark's return has been highly beneficial to Indiana, as they improved to 6-5 on the season after Tuesday night's win. Considering the sheer impact she has on drawing in audiences, the WNBA will also benefit from seeing Clark in a healthy state.
But considering the target on her back, the Fever guard will be under immense pressure in every game she plays in.
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