WNBA Facing Backlash After Sun’s Aggressive Tactics Toward Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark nearly brought her team back from a double-digit deficit to win Wednesday’s elimination game against the Connecticut Sun.

However, a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer followed by a few made free throws from DiJonai Carrington and a Marina Mabrey 3 put the game on ice for Connecticut, sending Clark and the Fever home after an 0-2 sweep in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

But the story of the game wasn’t the back-and-forth action in the third and fourth quarters, or even the Fever’s furious rally to take a lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was the seemingly blatant obliviousness to several fouls on Clark that the officials overlooked.

The Sun’s game plan clearly was to defend Clark aggressively, which had many Fever fans fuming because the refs seemingly refused to call anything against Connecticut.

“#WNBA Refs Didn’t see anything! Caitlin Clark needs to know, no blood, No foul! Inexcusable!” one fan stated .

“Caitlin Clark can get hit with a baseball bat & the Refs are gonna say there's no foul,” another remarked .

“Man, Clark gets a black eye, no foul called. Boston and Clark don't touch anyone and get fouls called. Gonna be the Fever vs. Sun, Refs, and the WNBA, I'm not sure the Fever will be able to beat them all,” a third fan exclaimed .

“These officials call every touch foul on Lexie Hull when she’s playing defense on the perimeter yet when it’s Caitlin Clark, officials allow defenders to body up on her as much as they want. Ridiculous. Be better @WNBA,” one user remarked .

“You're going to call that bump foul by Hull on Bonner but you're not going to call the bumper cars checking on Caitlin Clark Defenders all night long? @wnba your refs are as inconsistent as s---!!!!! Get rid of your agenda!” another argued .

Non-fouls against Clark are nothing new for Fever fans, who dealt with similar treatment for much of the regular season.

After snapping their seven-season playoff drought, the Fever’s season ends with a 20-20 regular-season record and 0-2 showing in the postseason.