Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever kept their WNBA Finals hopes alive on Tuesday night, tying the first-round series up 1-1 with a 99-89 win in Game 2 over A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. Now, the Fever and Aces will head back to Las Vegas for a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday evening.
With just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Clark hit Aliyah Boston for a layup to increase the Indiana lead to 92-83. But a few seconds later, at the other end of the court, Clark picked up a personal foul after taking a shot from Wilson under the basket, marking the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard’s sixth foul of the night.
In light of her sixth foul, Clark was disqualified from the game, with fellow guard Sophie Cunningham replacing her in the lineup. Indiana would outscore Las Vegas 7-6 with Clark on the bench.
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Clark has gotten used to the whistle, constantly called for fouls throughout her three-year career, averaging 2.9 personal fouls per game. Even in the Game 1 win over Las Vegas, Clark picked up five personal fouls. However, up until the Fever’s Game 2 win, Clark had never fouled out of a WNBA game.
Clark also picked up a technical foul earlier in Game 2 as well, so not only was she forced to miss the final few minutes of the Fever’s win, but she will likely have a fine from the WNBA coming her way as well.
Still, many were unhappy with the sixth foul on Clark, including Skip Bayless, who let out his frustrations on social media.
“Caitlin Clark just fouled out with 2:45 left and the Fever up 9,” Bayless wrote on X. “She let the ref know about it as she left. On her 6th, she took quite a shot from A’ja Wilson – close to an offensive foul. But Caitlin obviously shouldn’t have even contested.”
Clark and the Fever will face the Aces in Game 3 for a spot in the WNBA semifinals on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
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