Stephanie White wasn't interested in breaking down X's and O's after her team’s most recent loss. Instead, the Indiana Fever head coach launched into a passionate defense of Caitlin Clark, accusing WNBA officials of repeatedly failing to protect the league's biggest star during Indiana's 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
According to ESPN, White called two second-quarter plays "cheap shots" and argued that Clark continues to be officiated differently than everyone else in the league. "We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots [against her] right there that weren't called," White said. "Absolutely unacceptable."
White's frustration centered on a pair of plays just seconds apart. During a loose-ball scramble, Mercury star Alyssa Thomas appeared to drive her fist into Clark's throat before stepping over the Fever guard as players fought for possession. Officials never whistled a foul, later telling White they simply didn't see the contact.
"No. 1, you've got to call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful," White said. "The fist in the throat is crazy. It's crazy. It's dangerous."
Just moments later, Clark drilled a three while Valeriane Ayayi closed out underneath her, leaving Clark to land on Ayayi's foot. Officials reviewed the play but declined to upgrade it to a reckless closeout, a decision that left White even more irritated.
"The reckless closeout that they actually reviewed... that wasn't upgraded," she said. "To me, that's like a do-over on a test; how do you screw it up again?"
The game was already carrying plenty of bad blood. It marked the second meeting between Indiana and Phoenix in three days after the matchup erupted into six technical fouls and an ejection. White said officials entered the game on June 24 fully aware of how physical the rivalry had become, making the missed calls even more difficult to understand.
"They're coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that s--- still happens," White said. "We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. [Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called."
Clark finished with 19 points and eight assists before exiting midway through the third quarter with back discomfort. White said she couldn't say whether the earlier contact contributed to the injury, but acknowledged the Fever has to be cautious moving forward.
"We've got to be careful; it's a long season," she said. "We've got to make sure that she's healthy."
