Caitlin Clark receives her third technical foul this season, leading to Indiana Fever's defeat and a record of 1-8.
In the second quarter of Indiana's match against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Clark made a long-range three-pointer, shielding Storm's guard Victoria Vivians.
Upon returning to the other end of the court, the two players bumped into each other and started arguing. Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped in to stop them.
As a result, both Clark and Vivians received technical fouls.
According to the WNBA's rules, a player gets suspended for one game upon accumulating seven technical fouls in a single season. From then on, they'll be suspended for a game for every other technical they receive.
Despite Clark's 20-point performance, nine assists, and three rebounds, Indiana lost to Seattle by a score of 103-88.
Indiana's head coach Christie Sides, who also received a technical foul after protesting against an unfavorable decision, shared her thoughts with reporters. She said, "We argue too much with the referees. We need to focus on playing our game and let them take care of their job without our interference. We don't want to get technical fouls. I can handle technical fouls. I'll argue with the referees instead."
Jewell Loyd, of the Storm, led the scoring with 32 points as the Fever's record dropped to 1-8.
The Fever's persisting issues
Losing to Seattle was yet another setback in Indiana's string of disappointing performances this season, furthering their losing streak. They haven't had a winning record since 2015, and have failed to win over ten games in five seasons.
Indiana has a roster of young and talented players, however, their defensive rating of 112.6 over their first nine games this season is the lowest in the league.
The team's defensive deficits have been evident for several seasons now. Since 2017, the Fever have finished with the worst or second-worst defense in the WNBA during every season.
"The third quarter was when we lost the game," Clark commented post-match. "I thought our defensive rotations were poor... It's not about our offense. It's all about our defense. You won't win a basketball game if you let the other team score 103 points."
The Fever will face the Chicago Sky on Saturday and the New York Liberty on Sunday.
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In the heated exchange between Clark and Vivians, both players received technical fouls, adding to Clark's growing tally this season.Despite the rule that a player gets suspended for one game upon accumulating seven technical fouls, Clark's disciplinary record now stands at three, approaching the threshold for a suspension.
