WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark helped lead the Indiana Fever to a 92-75 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday. While the first-year star had another phenomenal outing on the stat sheet, she added a technical foul to her suspension tracker.
Clark picked up a technical foul in the third quarter when she smacked the base of the basket after a Storm turnover. While she was confused with the call, the rookie’s argument with the referee didn’t result in a change. It was her fifth technical foul of the season, meaning she’s two technical foul calls away from serving a one-game suspension.
Sides mentioned she needs to have a conversation with Clark since the team can’t afford to lose the All-Star guard for a game. While she admires Clark’s competitiveness, she knows the importance of the rookie in the lineup.
“Yeah, no. We’re gonna have a conversation (smiling),” Sides said. “I don’t need Caitlin to sit out a game. … She’s just a fiery competitor. I mean, I don’t want to take that away from her.”
Despite the frustrations throughout the game for Clark, the rookie led the Fever to their second straight victory.
Clark finished the game with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds. While she struggled for much of the game, the rookie turned up the volume in the second half of the contest.
Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (22) warms up before the game against the USA Women’s National Team at Footprint Center.
Before receiving the technical foul, Clark scored 11 points while shooting 1-of-8 from 3. After the technical foul, Clark scored 12 points, shooting 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the field.
The referee’s call may have lit a fire in Caitlin Clark, but Sides is still worried this could affect her availability in the future.
