Caitlin Clark struggles in Fever’s loss to Liberty in wake of controversial sport

One evening after their controversial sport in opposition to the Chicago Sky, the Indiana Fever acquired blown out on the highway by the New York Liberty, 104-68, on Sunday. 

And Caitlin Clark, the topic of the controversy, struggled mightily at Barclays Middle in the course of the group’s newest defeat.

Clark scored three factors, capturing 1 of 10 from the sphere, together with 1 of seven from three-point territory. She additionally collected 5 assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block.

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In the meantime, the Liberty noticed their stars cook dinner up on dwelling court docket as Breanna Stewart (13 factors, six rebounds, 5 assists), Sabrina Ionescu (16 factors, six assists, six rebounds), Jonquel Jones (18 factors, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (20 factors, 5 assists, two rebounds, two steals) led the best way for New York.

The Fever had been recent off a troublesome win over the Sky, 71-70, the evening earlier than, and it wasn’t even 24 hours since controversy and pressure brewed between these two squads.

Sky guard Chennedy Carter was seen hip-checking Clark in the course of the sport, and her Sky teammate, Angel Reese, clapped for the onerous foul that was a flagrant 1 violation after the WNBA reviewed it on Sunday.

SKY’S CHENNEDY CARTER RIPS CAITLIN CLARK AFTER REFUSING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT FOUL

After the sport, Carter prevented questions on Clark, however her ideas in regards to the No. 1 general choose of this 12 months’s draft had been confirmed with likes and reposted defenses of her actions on X.

Carter, then, posted on Threads Sunday the place she ripped into Clark.

“& that’s that on that trigger beside three level capturing what does she deliver to the desk man,” Carter wrote in reply to a submit about her postgame press convention.

In a separate submit on Threads, Carter additionally responded to the clip of Reese celebrating the onerous foul on Clark throughout a timeout, saying, “my dawg fasho, acquired all my teammates.

Amid information the league was upgrading Carter’s foul to a flagrant, it additionally fined Reese $1,000 for skipping her postgame press convention. The Sky was additionally fined $5,000.

Clark was requested about Carter’s foul after the sport, and he or she replied, “I wasn’t anticipating it. It’s what it’s. It’s a bodily sport. Go make the free throw and execute on offense, and I really feel like that’s sort of what we did.”

Whereas Clark took the excessive highway, her GM, Lin Dunn, and head coach Christie Sides spoke their minds.

“There’s a distinction between robust protection and pointless – concentrating on actions!” Dunn wrote in a submit on X. “It must cease! The league must ‘cleanup’ (sic) the c–p! That’s NOT who this league is!!”

Sides added, “I’m attempting to not get fined. I’m simply going to maintain sending these possessions to the league and these performs. Hopefully, they’ll begin to … take a greater have a look at a few of the issues we see occurring or we predict is occurring.”

Clark followers have appeared to go after Carter on social media, singling her out for what occurred on the ground, although it appeared each of them had phrases previous to the hip verify. However Carter posted on her Instagram Story as properly, saying, “I’d quite you hate me then (sic) love me and I imply that on my lifeless aunt.” She prefaced that by saying “I grew up with all brothers,” so she loves “the hate greater than the love.”

Carter additionally prompt Clark flopped on the play, making the hip verify look worse than it was.

Both means, Clark is aware of there’s a goal on her again, and subsequently the Fever, coming into her rookie season as she generated tons of hype and new viewership for the WNBA after her illustrious faculty profession at Iowa.

How she responds to “welcome to the present” moments just like the one Saturday is what actually issues, but it surely wasn’t her finest efficiency on the back-to-back in opposition to the Liberty.

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Regardless of the poor begin to the season by the Fever (2-9), Clark is the second participant in WNBA historical past to have at the very least 100 factors, 50 rebounds and 50 assists of their first 10 video games, becoming a member of Ionescu in that feat. She did so after gathering 11 factors, eight rebounds and three assists within the win over Chicago.

Fox Information’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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