Caitlin Clark let her frustration get the better of her during the Indiana Fever’s disappointing loss to the lowly Washington Mystics. Between her opponents selling calls and her team failing to complete a hard fought comeback, Clark hit her boiling point in a moment directed straight at one referee.
Caitlin Clark goes off on referee
Tension was building between the Mystics and the Fever all game, including one notable incident in the second quarter when Julie Vanloo’s repeated dramatic attempts to draw an offensive foul on Clark led to a scuffle and required the two teams to be separated.
Eventually it led to the viral moment, during which the No. 1 overall pick was whistled for another offensive foul for a push-off on the Mystics defender. She felt like the defender exaggerated the contact. The cameras caught every word while she walked back up the court and unloaded on the poor ref.
“Don’t fall for that. No! You fell for it!” she yelled, while pointing at the official. “That’s so soft!”
How can WNBA teams stop Caitlin Clark?
The push-off is a controversial move that many elite scorers like Clark employ, requiring referees to use subjective judgement on whether or not there was enough force for it to be an offensive foul.
Early in her career, the NCAA all-time leading scorer has proven she is a problem for WNBA defenders, push off or not. Clark landed on the WNBA All-Star team by averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 assists and 6 rebounds per contest.
The Mystics are not the only team who have realized that one of the best ways to stop Clark is to draw fouls on her. Whether the refs buy it or not, clearly it is getting in the young superstar’s head.
