Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul after hitting Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the head as she was driving to the basket in the third quarter of Sunday's game.
The incident happened when the Fever had a 63-62 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Reese was coming from behind while teammate Isabelle Harrison was also going for the ball. The former LSU star seemed to attempt a block but hit Clark's head instead. Officials originally called a personal foul and after a review they upgraded it to a Flagrant 1.
After review, Angel Reese called for a flagrant 1 for this foul against Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/xziAPf6ZGp
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
"It was a basketball play. I can't control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot today," Reese said after the game. "I'm always going for the ball. Y'all are going to play that clip 20 times before Monday."
The call was not upgraded to a Flagrant 2 because that would have required unecessary and excessive contact, and Reese would have automatically been ejected from the game.
During the postgame press conference, Clark said she did not think Reese hit her intentionally.
"What was going through my mind is I gotta make these two free throws," Clark said. "That's all I'm thinking about. It's just part of basketball. It is what it is. She was trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens."
Reese sat out for the rest of the third quarter because that was her fourth personal foul. However, she did not sit down for long as Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon still had her start the fourth quarter. Reese collected her fifth foul early in the final frame and headed back to the bench before checking back in with 5:30 remaining.
Although it was a close game, the Fever defended their home court and claimed a 91-83 victory. Clark led the Indiana with 23 points and went 7-for-11 from the field. She almost notched a triple-double by adding eight rebounds and nine assists. Aliyah Boston also had a solid game with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Marina Mabrey led the Sky with 22 points. Reese finished the day with 11 points and 13 rebounds, marking her sixth consecutive double-double.
The Fever (5-10) are 2-0 against the Sky (4-9) this season, but Chicago will have an opportunity for revenge when the teams face each other again on June 23.
