Late in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 71-70 win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday afternoon, Chennedy Carter knocked down a smooth mid-range jumper. A few seconds later, she put her shoulder into Caitlin Clark and sent the No. 1 overall pick tumbling to the ground.
The two guards had been enjoying a competitive back-and-forth for a few possessions earlier in the frame, but there was no apparent reason for Carter to escalate the situation to such an extent.
The referees briefly reviewed the incident, but did not upgrade it to a flagrant or technical. They did, however, deem it an away from the play foul because it happened before the ball was inbounded.
After the game, Carter refused to answer questions about what happened.
Here’s her full exchange with a reporter, Matthew Byrne:
Byrne: “On the play before bumping in with Caitlin, it seemed like she turned to you a little bit. After —
Carter: “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”
Byrne: “Did she say anything to you?”
Carter: “I don’t know what she said.”
Byrne: “What did you say to her?”
Carter: “I didn’t say anything.”
The interaction was then cut off by Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
Clark, for her part, called it “not a basketball play” during her in-game interview between the third and fourth quarters, and didn’t have much more to say following the game.
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that,” Clark said. “But it’s just like, respond, calm down and let your play do the talking. It is what it is. It’s a physical game, go make the free throw and then execute on offense. Feel like that’s what we did.”
Clark did, however, expand on her feelings about the overall physicality she’s dealing with to start her career. Earlier in the week, she expressed frustration with what she views as a double standard when it comes to contact from opponents. In the wake of the dust-up with Carter, she gave some insight into how she tries to handle those events during the game.
“It is what it is,” Clark said. “I feel like I’m just at the point where you accept it and don’t retaliate. Just let them hit you, be what it is, don’t let it get in your head and know it’s coming. I think at this point, I know I’m gonna take a couple hard shots a game, and that’s what it is.
“I’m trying not to let it bother me, and just stay in the game and stay in what’s important. Because usually it’s the second person that gets caught if you retaliate or something. I’m just trying to stay in the game and focus on my team and focus on what’s important.”
Fever head coach Christie Sides called Carter’s foul “unacceptable” on social media and said “something has to be done.”
Clark finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Fever improved to 2-8 on the season.
