Caitlin Clark scores 23 points in Fever’s win over Sky, Angel Reese challenges flagrant foul

The rivalry that WNBA fans were hoping to see between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese grew further Sunday afternoon when the Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 91-83, in a hard-fought game.

Clark scored 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, adding eight rebounds and nine assists. She started well for the Fever, making her first three shots and scoring seven points in the first quarter. That matches his goal total in Thursday’s win over the Atlanta Dream.

Angel Reese disagreed with glaring foul

Reese was booked for a flagrant foul after hitting Clark in the head on a drive to the basket. This contributed to foul trouble that made Reese virtually a non-factor in the second half.

After the game, Reese took issue with calling the foul blatant, saying it was a “basketball play” in which she was trying to block Clark’s shot.

“I can’t control the referees in basketball,” she told reporters. “They obviously affected the game a lot tonight.”

“I’m still looking for the ball. But you’re all going to play this clip, what, 20 times before Monday?” Reese added.

The Sky rookie then suggested she and her teammates were treated differently by Sunday’s officiating crew.

“I think we moved forward a lot and didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese said. “Watching the film, I saw a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle.”

When asked about Reese’s foul, Clark acknowledged that she was playing with the ball and chose to focus on the two free throws she had to shoot.

“It’s just part of basketball,” she said. “It’s like that. I just try to play with the ball and block. It happens.”

Reese committed four fouls in the third quarter, stalling what was developing into a good game for Reese, who led the Sky with nine points at halftime. She finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

Marina Mabrey led Chicago with 22 points, while Chennedy Carter followed with 18 and Dana Evans finished with 12. Kamilla Cardoso scored 10 and grabbed 10 rebounds, initially helping the Sky assert their frontcourt advantage over Indiana .

Aliyah Boston finally won the match against Kamilla Cardoso

However, Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith took control in the second half. Boston, in particular, had a good two-man game with Clark as the match progressed, beating his former South Carolina teammate Cardoso in their individual match. Boston finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Fever, while Smith added 15 with seven rebounds.

Kelsey Mitchell was a major factor late for Indiana in the second half as Clark and Boston drew more defensive attention. She had 17 points for the game. And Katie Lou Samuelson shot 3 of 4 from 3-point range, giving her nine points. The Fever also defeated the Sky, 71-70, on June 1.

Falling sky

Sunday’s loss to the Fever was the Sky’s fourth straight loss, dropping them to 4-9 on the season, now one game behind Indiana (5-10) in the Eastern Conference. After Friday’s loss to the Washington Mystics, Witherspoon was asked if she was considering a change in the starting lineup, but she said she wasn’t thinking about it and ultimately left her press conference.

However, a new formation took the floor Sunday with Carter and Lindsay Allen taking over for Evans and Diamond DeShields. The change seemed to suit Carter, but Allen only scored two points.

Here’s how Sunday afternoon’s match went: