The Indiana Fever’s game against the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday made headlines, but not just because of Caitlin Clark. A’ja Wilson, the MVP frontrunner, set a new WNBA single-season scoring record as the Aces secured an 86-75 victory over the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, however, had a challenging night, struggling with her shooting, partly due to the game’s physical intensity. Throughout the game, Clark found herself battling through contact to get her shots off and was visibly frustrated with some of the fouls called against her team.
During the postgame press conference, the 22-year-old guard didn’t hold back, expressing her displeasure with the officiating and hinting at the questionable offensive fouls called on her. “Honestly, [the Aces players] are all great defenders—physical, strong,” Clark remarked. “But the offensive fouls were definitely surprising at times. I feel like I’m constantly being held and dealing with a lot of contact during the game. Then, when you try to give some contact back, you get hit with a foul. It is what it is. Apparently, they see something different.”
Clark also discussed a key moment in the game when the Fever used a challenge to avoid one of their players, Aliyah Boston, picking up a fifth foul in the third quarter—a decision that ultimately cost them a challenge and a timeout. “That was tough,” Clark said. “We lose a challenge, a timeout, and then Aliyah’s basically out of the game. But we knew they were going to be physical, and it worked for them.”
Looking ahead, Clark mentioned her plan to rely more on her “quickness” to absorb contact in future plays. She also admitted feeling fatigued, likely a result of Indiana’s recent overtime win against the Atlanta Dream over the weekend. In Wednesday’s loss, Clark struggled from the field, shooting just 6-for-22 and 1-for-10 from three-point range, finishing with 16 points. It was one of her less impressive performances during her standout rookie season.
The Fever, who are fighting to secure the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, will have another shot at the defending champions on Friday.
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