Caitlin Clark Thiên thần Reese

Screenshot/CBS Sports XScreenshot/CBS Sports X

 

Caitlin Clark’s ongoing rivalry with Angel Reese took another turn on Sunday. Reese was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after she whacked Clark on the head during the Indiana Fever’s 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky.

Clark was driving to the basket with around three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Reese came over and attempted to block the shot, but her arm swiped across Clark’s head that sent her flying onto the floor.

Officials originally called a personal foul on Reese, but after a review they upgraded it to a Flagrant 1. Clark made two free throws and the Fever retained possession of the ball.

Reese strongly disagreed with the decision to upgrade the foul to a flagrant 1. She said the foul was a “basketball play” in which she was attempting to block Clark’s shot.

“Basketball play, I can’t control the refs. They affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight,” Reese told reporters after the game. ““I’m always going for the ball. But y’all are going to play that clip, what, 20 times before Monday?

Reese went on to imply the officials weren’t calling the same fouls on both ends of the court. 

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

Clark agreed with Reese about the foul, saying she was making a play on the basketball by attempting to block her shot.

“What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws.’ That’s all I’m thinking about,” Clark told reporters after the game. “It’s just part of basketball. It is what it is. You know, she’s trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. But, yeah, it happens.”

Clark finished with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting along with eight rebounds, nine assists and two blocks as the Fever won their second consecutive game for the first time this season.

Reese scored 11 points, but she missed nine of 13 shots in the game. She did have a team-high 13 rebounds and five assists, but was saddled with foul trouble (she had five) throughout the game.