Fever's Sophie Cunningham Says Caitlin Clark Hasn't Been Protected by WNBA Refs

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said that Caitlin Clark hasn't received protection from WNBA referees throughout the start of her career.

"I'm not focused on the extracurricular activities," Cunningham told reporters, via CBS Sports' Brad Crawford. "During that, it was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a buildup for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA. And so, at the end of the day, I'm going to protect my teammates."

Cunningham was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul on Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon during Indiana's 88-71 win on Tuesday following an earlier altercation between Clark and Sheldon.

In the third quarter of Tuesday's matchup, Clark was accidentally poked in the eye by Sheldon and responded with a light shove before Sun guard Marina Mabrey pushed Clark in return.

In the ensuing quarter, Cunningham's foul on Sheldon started a scuffle between both teams.

Six technical fouls and two flagrants were handed out during the game.

Clark's ability to handle contact was later brought up by Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase, telling reporters that the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year "doesn't like physicality" following an 88-77 win over Indiana on Friday.

Clark has only appeared in seven games this season due to a quad injury, but has remained an elite offensive force. She's averaging 19.9 points, 8.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game on 41.7/35.5/79.4 shooting splits.

As for Cunningham, she's in the midst of her inaugural year with the Fever after spending the first six seasons of her career as a member of the Phoenix Mercury.

The 28-year-old is recording 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds on a nightly basis off the bench, shooting 40.9 percent from three-point territory.

Indiana currently sits at No. 7 in the WNBA standings with a 6-6 record.