Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was called for a flagrant 1 foul after she almost decapitated Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.
Clark drove the lane for a layup when Reese made a hard foul on the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
Reese claimed she made a “basketball play”, but the officials saw it differently.
Initially, Reese was assessed a common foul. But after reviewing the play, officials upgraded the call to a flagrant 1.
One official said Reese’s “follow through” proved the contact was “unnecessary”.
After review, Angel Reese called for a flagrant 1 for this foul against Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/xziAPf6ZGp
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
The Fever went on to beat the Sky 91-83, giving Clark a 3-0 record over Reese since the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament.
During the post-game interview, Reese, who finished with 5 fouls and 11 points, said the referees affected the game.
“Basketball play, I can’t control the refs,” she said. “They affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight.”
“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.”
Big-time BLK by Caitlin Clark leads to dime and bucket for Aliyah Boston ?
? Chicago-Indiana on CBS pic.twitter.com/mMnYupRbxu
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 16, 2024
But Clark’s fans were satisfied that the officials are doing the best they can to protect the league’s golden goose.
Caitlin Clark’s enforcer, Kristy Wallace, stepped up after Dana Evans’ hook foul
Clark’s teammate, Fever guard Kristy Wallace rushed to defend her after she became tangled up with Sky guard Dana Evans.
Evans pushed Clark away, then Wallace got in Evans’ face.
Former NBA stars Matt Barnes and Charles Barkley called for Clark’s teammates to stand up against the league’s goons.
It seems Wallace is Clark’s designated enforcer.
Caitlin Clark gets tangled up with Dana Evans pic.twitter.com/uD8PPoS546
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
The message is clear: the WNBA’s roller derby-style of physical play is over. It’s a new game now that Clark is the face of the league.
