Fever Start the Season with a Crushing Victory over Sky, Marked by a Triple-Double from Clark and a Heated Encounter
Indianapolis – The Indiana Fever started their season with a resounding victory over the Chicago Sky on Saturday, highlighted by a triple-double from Caitlin Clark, a career milestone for the Fever’s new addition, DeWanna Bonner, and an altercation between Clark and Angel Reese of the Sky. An emotional start to the season.
The Gainbridge Fieldhouse was filled with 17,274 fans to witness the Fever’s victory over the Sky by 93-58, tying the second-largest point differential in franchise history. Clark, last season’s Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-WNBA selection, achieved her third triple-double as a WNBA player, having achieved 17 in college with Iowa. She accumulated 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, in addition to 4 blocks.
However, much of the attention was focused on a sequence in the third quarter. Clark, trying to avoid an easy shot by Reese, tried to take the ball away from her and was called for a foul. Reese fell to the ground and then got up to confront Clark, who walked away.
Indiana’s Aliyah Boston, trying to separate the two players, received a technical foul, which she found out about after the game when asked by the media.
Boston, who finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks, expressed his amazement at the technique. Clark told him: “I got it for you, don’t worry,” referring to the $200 fine.
Regarding the incident in general – Clark’s absence was qualified as flagrant 1 – Clark affirmed that he was playing the ball, which was confirmed by the replays.
“Let’s not make this something it’s not,” Clark said. “I’m not sure what the refs saw to elevate it; that’s up to their discretion after seeing what initially happened during the play and what happened after.”
Caitlin Clark
The head of the refereeing team, Roy Gulbeyan, explained the officials’ justification after the match.
“Clark’s foul met the criteria for a flagrant 1, for the movement, the impact and the follow through of the left hand extension towards Reese’s back, which is considered not a legitimate basketball play and therefore unnecessary contact. After the foul, there was a technical for physical provocation to Boston and a verbal technical to Reese, which were offset.”
In a brief postgame press conference, Sky’s Reese, who scored 12 points and 17 rebounds, said of the foul: “Basketball play. The refs got it right. Let’s move on.”
The rivalry between Clark and Reese has captured the attention of fans since the end of the NCAA in 2023, where Reese’s LSU team defeated Clark’s Iowa team. Clark was the first pick in the 2024 draft and Reese the number 7.
The Fever and the Sky will face each other five times during the regular season; their next meeting will be on June 7 at the United Center in Chicago.
Stephanie White, from Indiana, who is starting her second term as coach of the Fever, was pleased with her team’s defensive performance and the chemistry shown before and after the incident between Reese and Clark.One of the veterans of the Fever is Bonner, who is new to Indiana this season but is in her sixteenth year in the WNBA. Bonner scored 7 points on Saturday and moved up to third all-time in league scoring (7,489), behind the retired standout Diana Taurasi (10,646) and Connecticut’s Tina Charles (7,696).
Seattle’s Bonner and Alysha Clark are the oldest active players in the WNBA, both 37 years old. Bonner commented that the atmosphere in the stadium on Saturday and the support of the Fever fans made it special for her, along with the presence of her twin daughters at the game.
“Definitely a perfect opening day,” said Bonner, who signed with Indiana as a free agent after previously playing in Connecticut and Phoenix, where she won two championships with Taurasi in 2009 and 2014. “Playing in front of that crowd… when I came out, I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ I think I was a little in shock. I feel honored.”
Clark is in her second season and Boston, also a first pick, in her third. Both have contributed to revitalizing the franchise. Along with guard Kelsey Mitchell, they got the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 last year, which helped the team attract free agents like Bonner and Natasha Howard, who scored 15 points on Saturday along with Mitchell.
“This is a great first win, but we have 43 more games left,” Boston said. “So for us, it’s about making sure we focus, rewatch the game, and analyze what we need to work on.”
