When Stephanie White saw Caitlin Clark on the ground with one hand over her eye, she finally lost her temper and stormed onto the court. She was practically screaming at the officials for failing to protect her star point guard throughout the night. And her anger was further amplified when Mabrey just received a technical and no ejection after visibly shoving Caitlin Clark to the ground. White managed to control her temper till the game was over, when she jumped into a tirade at the officials.
It all came out in the postgame press conference, where White didn’t wait for questions. She immediately criticized the officials for their failure to put a check on the amount of physicality the Suns were employing. “There wasn’t an explanation for the tech that she got,” she said. “You know, I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, right? When the officials don’t get control of the ball game… when they allow that stuff to happen, and it’s been happening all season long, it’s not just this game, ” she commented. No doubt, she had a point—as everyone had seen how physical the Sun had been since the beginning.
As White mentioned, this wasn’t the first time that the Suns have been overly physical against the Fevers. Let’s take a short trip down memory lane, the last time these two teams came face to face. With Caitlin Clark ruled out of the fixture with an injury, her replacement, Sydney Colson, got injured courtesy of Jacy Sheldon and had to leave the court. Sophie Cunningham soon followed, as she was also taken out by Sheldon.
So, with the superstar back on the court and having Sheldon guarding her, the physicality was “expected,” as the head coach said. But what wasn’t expected was Sheldon getting a taste of her own medicine. It came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter when Jacy was running for a layup and was grabbed by Sophie. And it didn’t stop there—even after the Flagrant 1 foul, Sophie didn’t let it go, continuing to exchange words with Sheldon until the two were separated by Allen Lindsay and the officials.
Yes, it was a Flagrant 1 and two technicals for Sun’s players. So when White addressed the third-quarter incident, many expected her to comment on Sophie’s actions, too. And she did—but not in the way fans expected. Despite being asked multiple times about the incident, she kept repeating just one phrase: “It was a flagrant foul.”
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with an official Tuesday, June 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun, 88-71.
That was a strategic response, especially considering that Sophie’s move appeared calculated—a way to teach the opponent a lesson, as suggested by Rachael DeAmita: “Yes, it was intentional. It was absolutely intentional. It was, for me, a payback for what was happening the entire game.” And honestly, it made real sense—Sophie, being a black belt in Taekwondo, executed it in a way that wasn’t seriously harmful to Jacy. So now you know why White stuck to just one repeated phrase every time the incident came up, until Clark took the attention off.
How did Caitlin Clark stand up for HC’s rescue as concerns piled up for Sophie’s play?
When reporters kept pressing Head Coach Stephanie White about Sophie’s Flagrant 1 foul, CC stepped in to shift the narrative. “Yeah, well, I mean, you guys came to talk about basketball. Let’s talk about basketball. Come on now… We’re going to the Commissioner’s Cup Championship. Y’all want to talk about that? Let’s talk about that,” she said. And just like that, she redirected the spotlight for all the right reasons.
No doubt, it’s a huge achievement for a team like the Indiana Fever, who were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of last year’s playoffs. But this season, the team is making sure to take control of the league early, with some already predicting them to be strong playoff contenders.
May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the first half against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
And when you look at their latest win against the New York Liberty—snapping their opponents’ undefeated 9-0 streak—it’s easy to see why Clark is so excited. “Yeah, I mean obviously, we’re excited. That’s a big deal. And obviously New York helped us out a little bit to get there,” she added.
That win didn’t just bring pride, it also secured the Fever a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship, where the players will have a shot at a $500,000 prize. But it won’t be so easy as they’ll be taking up court against the Minnesota Lynx on July 1. It remains to be seen who takes the prize home.
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