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[Saba Sports News] Caitlin Clark isn’t giving her rivals any extra spotlight.
The Indiana Fever rookie was at the center of multiple fiery moments during Tuesday’s 88-71 Commissioner’s Cup win over the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. While the Fever cruised to victory, the game was full of tension and physicality.
Early on, Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon got into a face-to-face confrontation, which ended with Clark pushing Sheldon away. Things escalated in the second half when Sheldon struck Clark in the face while defending her. Clark responded with a shove, prompting Sun guard Marina Mabrey to retaliate by knocking Clark to the floor. That sequence led to three technical fouls and one flagrant foul.
Then, in the final moments of the fourth quarter, Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham delivered a hard foul on Sheldon, sparking another heated exchange. Cunningham, Sheldon, and Connecticut’s Lindsay Allen were all ejected following the altercation.
After the game, Clark was asked about the repeated physical incidents. She kept her focus on the court.
“You guys came for basketball, let’s talk about basketball,” Clark told reporters.
She added, “Come on now. We’re going to the Commissioner’s Cup Championship — that’s pretty exciting. Y’all wanna talk about that? Let’s talk about that.”
With the win, Indiana advances to face the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner’s Cup final on July 1. The Fever also improved to 6-5 on the season — a promising turnaround after Clark recently returned from a quad injury.
As for the tension with Connecticut, it’s not new. The Sun swept the Fever in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and Clark was on the receiving end of an eye poke in that series. The rivalry is alive and well — but Clark is clearly choosing to keep her focus on winning, not the noise.