Late in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 71-70 victory over the Chicago Sky Saturday afternoon, Chennedy Carter knocked down a smooth mid-range jumper. A few seconds later, she shouldered Caitlin Clark and sent the No. 1 overall pick to the ground.
The two guards had engaged in a fierce battle for a few possessions earlier in the frame, but there was no apparent reason for Carter to escalate the situation to such a degree.
The officials briefly reviewed the incident but did not upgrade it to egregious or technical. However, they considered it a way off play because it happened before the ball entered.
After the game, Carter refused to answer questions about what happened.
Here is her full conversation with a reporter, Matthew Byrne:
Byrne: “During the part before I met Caitlin, it seemed like she turned to you a little bit. Then —
Carter: “I don’t answer Caitlin Clark’s 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 short by Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
Clark, for her part, called it “not a basketball game” during her in-game interview between the third and fourth quarters, and didn’t have much to say after the game.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect that,” Clark said. “But it’s just react, calm down and let your play speak for itself. It is what it is. It’s a physical game, make the free throw and then execute on the attack. It feels like we did that.”
However, Clark has expanded on her feelings about the overall physicality she has to deal with to start her career. Earlier this week she… expressed her frustration at what she sees as a double standard when it comes to contact from opponents. In the aftermath of the fight with Carter, she gave some insight into how she tries to deal with these events throughout 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 into your head and know it’s coming. I’m thinking about this Period , I know I’m going to hit a few hard shots per game, and that’s it.
“I try not to let it bother me, and just stay in the game and stick to what’s important. Because usually it’s the second person who gets caught when you retaliate or something. I just try to stay in the game and focus on my team and focus on what’s important.”
Fever head coach Christie Sides called Carter’s mistake “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.