Whereas the Indiana Fever superior to the Commissioner’s Cup title recreation on Tuesday with a win over the Connecticut Solar, the speaking level from the sport had little to do with their impending title matchup with the Minnesota Lynx.
A number of scuffles between the Fever and Solar, with the primary involving Caitlin Clark, culminated in a flagrant foul and three ejections late within the recreation… and Fever head coach Stephanie White going off on officiating postgame.
“I feel yearly when we’ve our league conferences within the fall and within the spring, we are saying the identical factor again and again and over and nothing has modified,” White stated. “So, I’m unsure exterior of continuous to submit clips, persevering with to speak about it. Look, (the officers’) job is tough. Their job is tough. (The gamers’) job is tough, proper? Their job is tough. The sport has modified a lot. Gamers are quicker, they’re higher, they’re greater, they’re stronger. They’re pretty much as good as they’ve ever been, they’re as athletic as they’ve ever been.
“The sport is quick now. Issues are occurring shortly. All people’s getting higher besides the officers. So we obtained to discover a strategy to treatment it. I imply, you’ve heard each coach discuss it, so I don’t know what the reply is.”
To recap every part that occurred on the night time, first we’ve to return to the primary half. Clark and Solar guard Jacy Sheldon have a protracted rivalry courting again to their days in school at Iowa and Ohio State, respectively.
Predictably, issues have been a bit of chippy between the 2 early on.
However issues actually escalated within the second half when Sheldon fouled Clark with an incidental poke to the attention. The following scuffle noticed Marina Mabrey knock Clark to the bottom.
Surprisingly, Mabrey was not ejected from the sport as she, Clark and Tina Charles all have been assessed technicals and Sheldon was assessed a Flagrant 1.
The Fever went on to blow the sport open the remainder of the way in which, opening up a 20-point lead within the fourth quarter. Clark ultimately knocked down one final 3-pointer — her fourth of the night time — over Sheldon earlier than turning to the Solar bench to have some phrases, too. Once more, Sheldon and Clark had a bit of one thing additional to say to at least one one other heading into the following timeout.
Caitlin Clark to Jacy Sheldon after pulling down her fourth triple:
“Oh yeah? You’ll be able to’t guard me. You’ll be able to’t guard me.”pic.twitter.com/VMTlHtvVDb
– Karl Heiser (@KheiSerkbb) June 18, 2025
With the officers largely ignoring that incident as properly, the tensions totally boiled over within the closing minute of the sport. On a quick break, Sheldon was fouled arduous by Sophie Cunningham, main to a different scuffle and a number of ejections.
Cunningham and Sheldon have a bit of little bit of historical past, too. Throughout their assembly earlier this season, Cunningham chipped her tooth in a coming-together with Sheldon.
The chippiness continues on the finish of Fever-Solar
Sophie Cunningham with a tough foul on Jacy Sheldon, who took exception to it.pic.twitter.com/EDdnYx8LLw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 18, 2025
This time, the officers ejected each Cunningham and Sheldon whereas additionally ejecting Solar ahead Lindsay Allen.
White stated she started talking to the officers through the first quarter as she sensed “that stuff was brewing.” She was additionally fast to notice that this isn’t the primary time the officers have misplaced management of the sport.
“After they permit that stuff to occur — and it’s been occurring all season lengthy, all season lengthy. It’s not simply this recreation, it’s been occurring all season lengthy — that is what occurs, proper?” White stated. “You’ve obtained aggressive ladies who’re the perfect on this planet at what they do, proper? And while you permit them to play bodily and also you permit this stuff to occur, they’re going to compete and so they’re gonna have their teammates’ backs. It’s precisely what you count on out of fierce competitors.”
This isn’t the primary time White has referred to as out the officiating. After the workforce’s loss to the Liberty in Could, White blasted the officiating for a perceived lack of foul calls, which she referred to as “disrespectful.”
Maybe additional to her level of not having management of video games, the Fever have been concerned in a scuffle with the Sky within the opening recreation of the season with Clark and Angel Reese on the heart of it.
White additionally identified that this was not a Fever-specific concern, however one throughout the WNBA, too.
“Properly, I’ve seen fairly just a few dustups within the league to this point,” White stated. “So I feel it’s a league-wide concern. I imply, unhealthy officiating is unhealthy officiating.”
Given the character of her statements, White will virtually definitely get the league’s consideration with a nice probably coming her means. But it surely’s clear the Fever really feel issues have crossed the road, and their coach is keen to place her cash the place her mouth is once more.
