Clark Gets in Scuffle, Teammates Respond in Testy Win Over Connecticut

• Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever met the Connecticut Sun in a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game.
• The Fever won, but the game was marred by various scuffles, including one with Clark and Connecticut players.
• Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham responded with a late flagrant foul and was ejected, along with Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen.

There is lots of attention towards Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. Clark burst onto the scene as a rookie, but she was targeted by the opposition throughout her first season. That hasn’t stopped in 2025.

Clark was at the center of a skirmish during Indiana’s 88-71 win over Connecticut in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. That led to a late retaliation by her teammates, and three players were ejected.

Clark Clashes with Sheldon, Cunningham Gets Involved Late

The first confrontation came in the third quarter when Clark was poked in the eye by Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon, who was guarding the Fever star hard all game. Clark pushed Sheldon, then Clark was pushed by Marina Mabrey, knocking the Indiana guard to the ground.

Clark, Mabrey, and Connecticut’s Tina Charles were given technical fouls for the ruckus. But it didn’t stop there as Clark and Sheldon continued to talk to each other throughout the game.

It should be noted that Clark and Sheldon are very familiar with each other. The two played against each other for four years while Clark was at Iowa, and Sheldon was at Ohio State, both schools in the Big Ten.  

The retaliation came with 46.1 seconds left, and the Fever had a big lead. Sheldon was going for a layup on a breakaway and got fouled hard by Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham.

Thereafter, coaches, players, and even security got involved.

Cunningham was ejected for a Flagrant foul 2, while Sheldon and Connecticut’s Lindsay Allen were also ejected for “escalating” the situation. Clark didn’t elaborate on the incident after the game, but her coach, Stephanie White, had something to say:

“Everybody [in the league] is getting better, except the officials. I started talking to the officials in the first quarter, and we knew this was going to happen. You could tell it was going to happen. So, they've got to get control of it. They've got to be better."

The two teams meet for the third time this season on July 15 in Connecticut. All eyes will be on that game to see if things get heated again. It should also be said that Clark led the Fever with 20 points and six assists in an 88-71 win. They’ll face Minnesota in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game on July 1, 2025.

Is Caitlin Clark Fouled More Than Other Players?

Many have wondered if Clark is being targeted for fouls by the opposition. In her rookie season, Clark was fifth in the league behind A’ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier in fouls drawn with 4.5 per game. In 2025, Clark has missed five games, but she is tied for seventh with 5.3 fouls drawn per game.

To be fair, Clark talks a lot to her opponents, getting them off their game. She’s also a star now, so Clark gets plenty of calls that many players don’t. But the onus is on the officials to get the game under control. The WNBA has always been a physical league, but there are more eyes on it now.

Star players are always going to get more attention, and Clark has reached that level. But the referees need to control the game better, so what happened on Tuesday in Connecticut is an isolated case and not the norm.