As was the case for several of their games this season, the Indiana Fever’s 84-80 win over the Connecticut Sun didn’t come without some ruffled feathers.
In one of the game’s most riveting highlights, Caitlin Clark beat Sun forward Dijonai Carrington to the rim for a smooth layup immediately after Carrington appeared to shush the home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark and Carrington had a few other tense moments on the court, including a minor dust-up when the two stars battled for a loose ball.
After the Fever’s win, Clark, who finished with 19 points and five assists, elaborated on the overall physical nature of the game.
“I would say it’s up there with one of the most physical games I’ve played so far, but you know you’re gonna get that from the minute you come into this game,” Clark said in the postgame presser. “That’s just how they are, they’re a physical team.”
“They set a lot of screens—they do a really good job of setting and using screens, they really do,” continued Clark. “But I thought we navigated screens well, especially when we needed to late in the fourth quarter. We were switching well, contesting shots, and rebounding… Getting stops in the end was the only reason we won.”
Caitlin Clark on where the physicality in this game ranks in her career (and that hard screen): “Yeah, it hurt a lil bit. I would say it’s up there with one of the most physical games I’ve played so far, but you know you’re gonna get that.”
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) August 29, 2024
Praised Connecticut’s screens. pic.twitter.com/jFj2dQQtvS
During the third quarter, Clark also found herself in a run-in with another Sun player: the rookie guard hit the deck after forward Alyssa Thomas set a hard screen. Thomas was called for an offensive foul and Clark walked it off, and there appeared to be nothing malicious about the play.
Clark and her Fever teammates were ultimately all smiles following the hard-fought upset, having won four of their last five games out of the Olympic break and inching one step closer to their first playoff appearance since 2016.
The Fever (15-16) will have to quickly gear up for another tough battle, as they will face Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Friday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Gave Honest Take on Sun-Fever Game’s Physicality After Tense Win.
