Clark got another victory over Reese in their first match-up in the WNBA

Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin Clark.LAPRESSE

 

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese reignited their college basketball rivalry in the WNBA this time for the first time as the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky went head to head, and it left Clark’s boyfriend Connor McCaffery far from displeased with the actions of Reese during her team’s loss.

The ex-Iowa Hawkeye has struggled to adapt to life in the professional game of basketball so far, only shooting for 20 or more points on two occasions as the league’s players look to make an example out of her since she’s regarded as the best talent around.

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Angel Reese arrives in style to the match against Caitlin Clark

And that happened once again in the Fever’s 71-70 victory of the Sky when Chennedy Carter committed a rough foul before later taunting the 22-year-old, which got Reese celebrating from the bench, leaving Clark’s boyfriend quite annoyed.

Connor McCaffery took to X.com, formerly Twitter, to like a post that read, “Angel Reese hopping off the bench to throw a parade for Caitlin Clark‘s murder is crazy lol,” although he did refrain from commenting directly himself.

At the time of the foul, Clark did appeal for the referees to review it and they called it a “common foul”, but the ex-Iowa Hawkeye wasn’t done talking about it yet as she explained how she reacted to the incident.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” said Clark, per Chloe Peterson on X. “But it’s just, ‘Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is.

Although she later said, as per Bleacher Report, “That’s just not a basketball play.”

Whilst Carter responded with, “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

Who won the Clark-Reese personal rivalry?

The Fever left the court with their second win in their pocket whilst the Sky slipped below .500 in the Eastern Conference for the season following the 71-70 scoreline in favour of Caitlin Clark’s side, but how did she and Reese perform on a personal note?

Well, the overall first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft posted 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists with one steal during her team’s win, whilst Reese delivered eight points, 13 rebounds and one assists with one steal in 30 minutes from her role as a forward.

As Caitlin Clark keeps getting fouled, her coach Christie Sides asks the WNBA ‘to do something’ about it

Caitlin Clark’s experience in the WNBA hasn’t been pleasant

Caitlin Clark

Caitlin ClarkLAPRESSE

 

Despite a challenging start to her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever, NCAA sensation Caitlin Clark has shown remarkable resilience. The team began the season with a 2-8 record, but managed to secure their first home game victory against the Chicago Sky by a narrow score of 71-70.

While the Fever’s victory was necessary for the team’s aspirations and for recovering ground after a poor start to the season, what grabbed the headlines was the hard foul that Chennedy Carter inflicted towards the end of the third quarter.

 

Chennedy Carter’s hard foul on Clark towards the end of the third quarter was a game-changer. Although it wasn’t called a flagrant foul, a free throw was awarded to the Fever, ultimately tipping the scales in their favor. This incident marked another instance of the tough opposition and rough play that Clark has been facing since joining the WNBA, perhaps being the last straw for the fans.

After the game, Carter was asked about the play, to which she responded, ‘next question,’ refusing to comment further on the foul, which has sparked much discussion on social media and in the media.

Indiana Fever’s coach is not happy about it

Someone who is indeed fed up is Fever coach Christie Sides, who wrote the following on her Twitter account: ‘This is unacceptable @wnba When will the consistent complaints be heard?!? Something has to be done!’

After the game, she also praised Clark for maintaining her composure in the face of rough play against her and hoped that the WNBA would do something to protect their star player.

Just more happy that Caitlin handled it the way she did. You know, it’s tough to keep getting hammered the way she does and to not get rewarded with free throws or foul calls. She’s continued to fight through that. Appreciate that from her. Really, really proud of her for doing that.”

Caitlin Clark averages 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 37.7% from the field.