Fever coach rips refs after Clark exits with back issue
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- Caitlin Clark left Wednesday's 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury with 5:15 left in the third quarter due to back issues, finishing with 19 points and eight assists.
- Stephanie White tore into officials for not calling two "cheap shots" on Clark, declaring: "We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots [against her] right there that weren't called. Absolutely unacceptable."
- Alyssa Thomas appeared to push her fist into Clark's neck and then step over her during a 6:52 second-quarter scramble involving Lexi Held and DeWanna Bonner; White said officials told her they "didn't see" the play.
- Seconds later, at 6:25 in the second quarter, Valeriane Ayayi closed out on Clark's 3-point attempt and Clark landed on her foot — the foul was reviewed but not upgraded to a reckless closeout.
- White highlighted a fourth-quarter foul disparity, saying the Fever were called for 11 fouls to Phoenix's two and the Mercury shot 24 free throws in the second half.
- Wednesday marked the second game in three days between the teams; Monday's Fever win featured six technical fouls and one ejection.
- The Fever (10-8), who already lost Clark to back issues on May 20, next host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, with White saying: "We've got to be careful. It's a long season."
Why it matters: White's public eruption — singling out two specific plays and citing a 24-free-throw second-half gap — turns a single game's officiating into a league-wide referendum on how Clark is protected. With Clark now managing recurring back problems on a 10-8 team, the Fever face a real tension between competing for the playoffs and preserving their franchise player through a long WNBA season.
