The Indiana Fever didn't just lose to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday night, Caitlin Clark nearly suffered an injury due to a hard contest at the basket.
During the second quarter of the Fever-Valkyries game, Clark was hit in the quad as she was driving to the rim. Although the basket was good, she ran back up the floor yelling at the refs for a foul. It was a pretty tense scene at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
After the game was over, Clark spoke to the media about this missed call. The former No. 1 pick from Iowa didn't hold back one bit.
"I got kneed right in the quad, that hurts, the ref can’t miss that," Clark told reporters. "And then I have to play with a contusion in my leg for the rest of the game. Ridiculous, you can’t miss calls like that."
© David Gonzales-Imagn Images.
Clark asked the ref for an explanation on the no-call. She was told that she initiated the contact.
"They said Caitlin initiated the contact. That's all they said," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "She seems to always be initiating the contact. I'm trying to not get fined. Again, all I'll say is that we just keep asking for consistency."
Clark pays respect to the Valkyries.
Despite her frustration with the refs, Clark gave the Valkyries credit for making life extremely difficult for the Fever.
"They're probably the best defensive team in the league," Clark said. "They're really good at that. I thought I finally played with a little more pace and a little bit more burst, especially down the stretch in the fourth."
The Fever will return to action Friday night for a showdown with the Seattle Storm. We'll see if they get back in the win column.
