CHICAGO — On Saturday, the WNBA swiftly overturned a technical foul handed to Caitlin Clark, which would have marked her eighth of the season, during the Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Chicago Sky.
Under league regulations, collecting an eighth technical foul results in an automatic one-match suspension. Following their 90-86 victory, the Fever promptly challenged the ruling, and the league annulled the penalty under two hours after the buzzer.
As a result, Clark is cleared to participate in Tuesday’s game against the New York Liberty in Indianapolis.
In the course of the third period, Clark bumped into a referee past the baseline. It appeared that defensive pressure from Natasha Cloud pushed Clark, sending her momentum forward and resulting in minor contact with the referee.
After the matchup, but prior to the decision being overturned, crew chief Maj Forsberg clarified that the referee determined Clark’s contact was deliberate, which prompted the technical foul call.
Indiana head coach Stephanie White was also hit with a technical foul as she protested the ruling against Clark.
“I was given a technical for calling it nonsense, despite hearing profanity throughout the entire game,” White remarked.
White labeled the technical on Clark as a poor decision, characterizing it as minor, accidental contact that happens when a player is moving at high speed.
“I believed her teammates needed to step in and discuss it with her too,” White commented. “It’s a terrible call. Play like that occurs constantly during a matchup. Referees need to show better situational awareness, and that didn’t happen here.”
