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Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham was on the receiving end of some brutal treatment by the Washington Mystics in the first preseason game of her WNBA season.
The Fever played without star Caitlin Clark, who was absent due to a minor injury that was described as ‘a little tightness’ in her left leg.
So it was Cunningham that led the way for Indiana. However, she didn’t do so without a bit of bruising.
In the second quarter, Cunningham was fighting for a rebound with Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen.
Iriafen had her arm wrapped around Cunningham’s torso and then flung her to the ground as the ball got away from them.
Cameras caught Cunningham getting right back up and barking at Iriafen, ‘You don’t motherf***ing do that.’Â
Sophie Cunningham was thrown to the ground by Kiki Iriafen in a preseason WNBA game
Indiana’s Caitlin Clark didn’t play the game on Saturday due to ‘tightness’ in her left leg
Cunningham got the last laugh, leading the Fever with 21 points in their overtime win
Iriafen, a rookie out of USC, was hit with a flagrant foul for her indiscretion.Â
That wasn’t the only time Cunningham hit the deck as the result of a Washington player’s aggression and competitiveness.
She was also shoved to the ground by Mystics guard Brittney Sykes. This time, it was Cunningham’s teammate DeWanna Bonner that defended her – screaming at the opponent for the foul.Â
At the end of the game, it was Cunningham who had the last laugh.
Despite coming off the bench, she shot an impressive 6-for-11 from the field and scored a team-high 21 points alongside eight rebounds and two assists in a 79-74 overtime victory.
Sykes led Washington with 18 points and three rebounds. Iriafen played just 16 minutes and scored seven points.
