Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever concluded their preseason preparations with a 3-0 record under their new head coach, but their star guard caught the headlines for the wrong reasons following her latest technical foul.
The stage is set for what the team hopes will be a breakout 2025 WNBA campaign spearheaded by last year’s Rookie of the Year, who will be tasked with the definitive leading role for the franchise.
However, her intensity once again drew the attention of referees during an 81-76 victory over Brittney Griner‘s Atlanta Dream– and not in a positive way as she notched up another technical foul.
Her first of the year, incident occurred with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter when the 23-year-old became visibly frustrated during an exchange with an official and it was her comment that caught the eye.
Sophie Cunningham rushed to calm her down, physically pulling the guard away in an attempt to avoid further conflict but not before she angrily told the referee what she thought of the call.
Although the technical foul itself initially appeared routine, Clark dismissively said, “No one cares. No one cares.”
For someone who racked up six technical in 2024 and found herself just one game away from a suspension, it’s a part of her game that she must clamp down on when every single win matters in the sport.
However, fans suggested the referee had something personal against the Iowa graduate as they reacted to the moment on X.com, formerly Twitter.
One fan commented, “I don’t wanna see this ref near CC again.”
A second added, “Oh, this ref really doesn’t like her. The facial expression tells everything. CC’s cold af.”
And a third said, “She got her sassy shoes on.”
Clark steady showing vs Dream
Despite the technical foul and frosty moment with the official, Clark showed she’s still in fine form when it comes to shooting buckets on the court for the Fever through this preseason run.
After ending 2024 with averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, she’s now continued her trend with 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists through preseason.
Against the dream in particular, she added 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists whilst also going 5-11 shooting (45.45%), suggesting she’s ticking over nicely ahead of her season opener.
They will tip-off against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 17 at 15:00 ET/12:00 PT with a game live on national broadcast via ABC and Disney+ for fans keen to tune in.
The matchup is expected to draw significant attention as two of the WNBA’s most highly touted young stars face off and continue their rivalry fostered through the NCAA when Reese starred for the LSU Tigers, and Clark for the Hawkeyes.
Read the full article here
