Caitlin Clark Scores 7, Criticized By WNBA Fans Despite Fever's 4th Win of Season

Fever’s 4th Win of Season

Pepper Robinson/NBAE via Getty Images

Despite the Indiana Fever defeating the Atlanta Dream by the final score of 91-84 on Thursday night, Caitlin Clark struggled.

Indiana Fever@IndianaFever

homecourt dub 🏡 <a href=”https://t.co/JmBdCVD3cg”>pic.twitter.com/JmBdCVD3cg</a>

Clark finished with only seven points in 34 minutes, shooting 27.3 percent from the field. The standout rookie was unable to find any consistency from behind the arc, connecting on just one of her six three-point attempts.

Turnovers have also continued to plague the former Iowa standout throughout the start of her WNBA career, as she gave away the ball seven times against Atlanta while recording six assists.

Aliyah Boston handled the scoring load for Indiana, as the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year racked up a team-high 27 points and 13 rebounds on 12-21 shooting. Veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell also chipped in with 24 points of her own.

However, fans were disappointed with Clark’s poor performance:

Just Sporting@WeJustSporting

<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CaitlinClark?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CaitlinClark</a> playing terrible. Taking her team out rhythm right now. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Fever</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WNBA</a>

Skip Bayless@RealSkipBayless

Another shaky game from Caitlin Clark – 1-7 from 3, 7 pts, 7 turnovers. But she did have a team-high 6 assists and Indiana did hang on to beat Atlanta, which had won 3 of 4 on the road. But … enough of the “Olympic snub” talk.

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Mark Sutton@3rdstreetjazz

Kelsey Mitchell just saved Caitlin Clark on this one. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WNBA</a>

Quin@QuinThomasx

Atlanta’s defense has Caitlin Clark frustrated tonight. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/wnba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#wnba</a>

Deandre Fine👑@deandrefine_30

I’m just trying to find where Caitlin Clark is tonight…..💯🤷🏽‍♂️<br><br>I guess she just doesn’t have it tonight. Especially her mindset.<br><br>Idk what’s wrong with her.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianaFever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#IndianaFever</a>

CAITLIN CLARK ERA@GoodKidNapCity

Caitlin really has to get stronger she can’t get any separation

Kel@KungFuKel192

I dont think Caitlin clark should be the front runner for ROY

Marcos@209_Raider

Caitlin Clark is a turnover machine

The Fever moved to 4-10 on the season after their victory on Thursday night and have now won three of their past five games. Clark will look to get back on track during Indiana’s next matchup, a clash with Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.

HOT NEWS:

BALTIMORE’S ANGEL REESE CALLS OUT REFS, CAITLIN CLARK AFTER HARD FOUL: “SOME PEOPLE GET A SPECIAL WHISTLE”

NDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, a Baltimore native, insisted all she did Sunday was make a basketball play against Caitlin Clark, of the Indiana Fever.

The former Iowa star agreed with her college rival.

But that isn’t likely to defuse what happens next.

After the Indiana Fever rookie wound up on the ground courtesy of Reese’s right elbow striking Clark’s head on a drive to the basket, the referees used replay review to upgrade the foul call to a flagrant-1 and almost assuredly setting off yet another debate about the contact Clark seems to be facing each game.

“I think we went up really strong a lot of times and didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese said. “Going back and looking, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made, I guess some people get a special whistle.”

Reese, who finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and five fouls in the Sky’s 91-83 loss at Indiana, criticized the refs for changing another hard foul call against Clark.

“I can’t control the refs and they affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight,” Reese said. “Y’all are probably going to play that clip like 20 times before Monday.”

Naturally, it didn’t take long for the highlight to start making the social media rounds.

But regardless of whether the elbow was intentional, the result was the same — Clark taking a headshot most sports leagues want to prevent.

Clark’s response was to walk calmly to the free-throw line late in the third quarter, make both shots and help lead her team to its second straight victory before again downplaying the situation in her postgame news conference.

“It is what it is, you know, she’s trying to make a play on the ball and get the block,” Clark said after finishing with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her best all-around game as a pro. “I mean it happens and then those free throws when you have to shoot with nobody at the line are kind of hard. So I was just focusing on making those free throws.”

Still, Sunday’s scene was quite different from the one that played out two weeks earlier between these same teams in front of another sellout crowd in Indianapolis.

Back then, Sky guard Chennedy Carter hit Clark on an inbound play that sent the unsuspecting guard to the ground. Carter was tagged with an away-from-the-ball call, which resulted in one free throw and league officials later upgraded the call to a flagrant-1.

Fever fans serenaded Carter and Reese with cheers any time either was called for a foul in Sunday’s rematch.

No, Fever coach Christie Sides wasn’t happy to see her star player hit the deck yet again, but at least this time, she thought they got it right.

“The right call was made in that moment,” Sides said. “Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. But when we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem and they made the right call tonight.”

Reese was born in Randallstown and played her high school basketball at Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy. She was an All-American at LSU, while winning the national championship in 2023.

HOT NEWS:

‘A BASKETBALL PLAY’: REESE DISAGREES WITH HER FOUL ON CLARK

INDIANAPOLIS — The second WNBA installment of Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese made as many headlines as the first.

Clark’s Indiana Fever defeated Reese’s Chicago Sky 88-83 on Sunday in a game that will be marked by the flagrant foul Reese committed against her college rival. Reese, the former LSU star who has been inextricably linked to former Iowa star Clark since their much-hyped matchup in the 2023 women’s Final Four, delivered a hard blow to Clark’s head as Clark drove to the basket in the third quarter. Officials upgraded the call to a flagrant foul 1 after a video review.

But Reese seemed to take exception to the ruling, describing it as merely “a basketball play” after the loss.

“I can’t control the refs,” she said. “They affected the game a lot tonight. … I’m always going for the ball. But y’all going to play that clip 20 times before Monday.”

Reese, who was called for five fouls, was visibly frustrated at times during the game. She was assessed a delay of game warning at one point in the fourth quarter after a prolonged argument with officials.

Asked about the physical play in the paint, where she was called for most of her fouls, Reese again turned her criticism toward the officiating.

“I think we went up really strong a lot of times and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” she said of herself and center Kamilla Cardoso. “And going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle.”

But just like the first contest two weeks ago, Clark took a hard shot that knocked her to the ground, this time when college rival Angel Reese’s right elbow hit Clark in the head.

The difference this time, unlike the Chennedy Carter play, was that the refs upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1 following a replay review, giving Clark two free throws and Indiana the next possession.

“The right call was made in that moment,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. But when we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem, and they made the right call tonight.”

Marina Mabrey scored 22 points to lead the Sky (4-9), who have lost four straight.

Carter, who hit the unsuspecting Clark with a hard foul on an inbound pass two weeks ago, had 18 points and four assists. League officials later upgraded Carter’s foul to a flagrant 1.

Reese had 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists while Kamilla Cardoso had 10 points and 10 rebounds Sunday.

Indiana built a 47-43 lead with a 12-6 run to close the first half. Marina Mabrey then scored eight points in a 12-4 spurt to open the second half to give the Sky a 55-51 lead.

The Fever charged back, taking a 58-57 lead on Clark’s 3-pointer midway through the third, and never trailed again. They opened up a 68-64 lead before Chicago scored the final basket of the quarter.

Indiana sealed it with a sequence that included Clark’s second 3 of the game, Boston’s short jumper, Smith’s layup and two free throws from Clark over the final 3:06.

“She took the shots that were hers and knocked them down. She distributed the basketball,” Sides said, referring to Clark. “She takes so much attention and she’s able to find those open looks for her teammates. I mean, all around she was just really good.”