Whereas the Indiana Fever superior to the Commissioner’s Cup title sport 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 sport… and Fever head coach Stephanie White going off on officiating postgame.
“I believe yearly when we’ve our league conferences within the fall and within the spring, we are saying the identical factor time and again and over and nothing has modified,” White stated. “So, I’m undecided outdoors of continuous to submit clips, persevering with to speak about it. Look, (the officers’) job is difficult. Their job is difficult. (The gamers’) job is difficult, proper? Their job is difficult. The sport has modified a lot. Gamers are sooner, they’re higher, they’re larger, they’re stronger. They’re nearly as good as they’ve ever been, they’re as athletic as they’ve ever been.
“The sport is quick now. Issues are occurring rapidly. Everyone’s getting higher besides the officers. So we acquired to discover a approach to treatment it. I imply, you’ve heard each coach speak about it, so I don’t know what the reply is.”
To recap the whole lot that occurred on the night time, first we’ve to return to the primary half. Clark and Solar guard Jacy Sheldon have an extended rivalry relationship again to their days in school at Iowa and Ohio State, respectively.
Predictably, issues had been somewhat 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 had 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 finally 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 somewhat one thing additional to say to 1 one other heading into the following timeout.
Caitlin Clark to Jacy Sheldon after pulling down her fourth triple:
“Oh yeah? You possibly can’t guard me. You possibly can’t guard me.”pic.twitter.com/VMTlHtvVDb
– Karl Heiser (@KheiSerkbb) June 18, 2025
With the officers largely ignoring that incident as nicely, the tensions absolutely boiled over within the remaining minute of the sport. On a quick break, Sheldon was fouled laborious by Sophie Cunningham, main to a different scuffle and a number of ejections.
Cunningham and Sheldon have somewhat 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 in the course of 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 enable that stuff to occur — and it’s been occurring all season lengthy, all season lengthy. It’s not simply this sport, it’s been occurring all season lengthy — that is what occurs, proper?” White stated. “You’ve acquired aggressive girls who’re the very best on the earth at what they do, proper? And whenever you enable them to play bodily and also you enable these items to occur, they’re going to compete and so they’re gonna have their teammates’ backs. It’s precisely what you anticipate out of fierce competitors.”
This isn’t the primary time White has referred to as out the officiating. After the staff’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 had been concerned in a scuffle with the Sky within the opening sport of the season with Clark and Angel Reese on the middle of it.
White additionally identified that this was not a Fever-specific challenge, however one throughout the WNBA, too.
“Nicely, I’ve seen fairly a number of dustups within the league thus far,” White stated. “So I believe it’s a league-wide challenge. I imply, dangerous officiating is dangerous officiating.”
Given the character of her statements, White will nearly definitely get the league’s consideration with a high-quality doubtless coming her method. Nevertheless it’s clear the Fever really feel issues have crossed the road, and their coach is prepared to place her cash the place her mouth is once more.
