Fever pitch: Playing rough with Clark doesn’t pay off for Sky
The Sky delivered an intriguing performance Saturday in a hyped game at Indiana, even though the result was a 71-70 loss.
Rookie center Kamilla Cardoso made her season debut after missing time with a shoulder injury and quickly showed how much the Sky can benefit from her 6-foot-7 frame. The former South Carolina star finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds in just 18 minutes.
“Just stay composed,” Cardoso said of her WNBA debut. “I felt like when I first went into that game, I was stressing and I've never stressed before a game in my life before.”
Guard Chennedy Carter continued to shine off the bench, scoring a season-high 19 points, reaching double figure points for the sixth straight game. The lightning-quick Carter was a star in college at Texas A&M and the No. 4 overall pick of the 2020 WNBA Draft by Atlanta, then didn't play in the league last season.
“I think I've put in a lot of work coming from China and Turkey this off-season, so I'm really ready to showcase my talent,” Carter said.
At the same time, every play counts in a 1-point game. The Sky gave Indiana a free point when Carter decided to take a cheap shot against Fever rookie Caitlin Clark late in the third quarter.
With 15.8 seconds left in the quarter, after a Sky basket, Clark was waiting for the inbound pass when Carter ran up from behind and knocked her to the ground. It was clearly intentional, but officials chose not to call a technical or flagrant foul, just an off-the-ball foul, which gave Clark one free throw, which she made.
Replays showed Carter saying something as she approached Clark, and Clark might have said something to Carter on the other end of the court. But it wasn't clear if anything led to the foul, because Carter refused to talk about it after the game.
“I ain't answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” Carter said. “I don't know what she said. I didn't say anything.”
When a reporter persisted, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon leaned into the microphone in the interview room and said, “That's enough.”
When the players left the room, Weatherspoon said: “They're just competing. That's all they're doing is competing.”
Sky rookie Angel Reese, who famously battled Clark in the 2023 NCAA title game between LSU and Iowa, jumped off the bench and clapped her hands when Carter fouled Clark. Reese then gave her teammate a hug when the quarter ended.
Reese was her typical self on the floor, grabbing 8 of a game-high 13 rebounds on the offensive end, while scoring 8 points. Clark hit the floor late in the game while battling for rebound position with Reese, but no foul was called.
The play at the end of the third quarter wasn't the first time Clark has been hit hard during her initial WNBA season, but this one might have been the most unnecessary.
“It is what it is,” Clark said after the game. “I feel like I'm at the point where you accept it and don't retaliate. Just let them hit you, don't let it get inside your head and know it's coming.
“I think at this point, I know I'm going to take a couple of hard shots a game. I'm trying not to let it bother me. 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.”
Those type of collisions happen in the NBA, too. But it is odd that there seems to be animosity toward Clark, when she's brought so much attention and revenue to women's basketball, which every player will benefit from. Saturday's game drew a sellout crowd of 17,274 in Indianapolis.
“We're just going to keep sending these plays to the league and hopefully they'll start taking a better look at the things we see happening,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “It's tough, to keep getting hammered the way she does and to not get rewarded with free throws or just a foul call, she's continued to fight through that. I appreciate that from her. I'm really proud of her for doing that.”
The Sky trailed for most of the game, but had their chances at the end. Marina Mabrey (15 points) was fouled with 6.6 seconds on the clock with the Sky trailing by 2, but she missed the first of the 2 free throws. On the ensuing possession, Indiana was able to throw the inbound pass deep into the backcourt and the Sky couldn't commit a foul before time ran out.
Another key play was a travel called against Cardoso with 1:13 left. She had to hustle to catch a long inbound pass and took a couple steps to come to a stop after catching the ball. Had play continued, Carter would have had an open layup.
The Sky (3-4) went just 2-for-12 from 3-point range and didn't get much from their veterans. Starting center Elizabeth Williams, starting forward Michaela Onyenwere and backup point Lindsay Allen combined for 2 points. Diamond DeShields did not play due to an illness.
Clark finished with 11 points, 6 assists and 8 rebounds. She made her first 2 shots from 3-point range, then missed the next 7. Kelsey Mitchell scored 18 points to lead the Fever (2-8), which won its first home game of the season.
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