We nearly got a re-run of ‘Malice at the Palace’ last night, only this time, it was Connecticut instead of Detroit. The Fever vs Sun game turned into a physical, dirty game that was capped off with 2 fights and 3 ejections, and we’re sure you’ve heard all about it! After all, Caitlin Clark’s tussle with Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey caught a lot of social media traction, and of course, fans were divided in their opinions.
The first altercation happened between Clark, Sheldon, and Mabrey in the third quarter. We’ve seen Clark and Sheldon go head-to-head during their NCAA days, and it was almost an exact recreation of the old Iowa-Ohio State rivalry. However, things got out of hand, and they got out of hand real quick. The two were seen exchanging some words in the second quarter, but the real drama began midway through the third. Sheldon’s physical defense resulted in a poke at Clark’s eye, and all hell broke loose.
There were pushes and shoves, and a lot of fouls to go around in that conflict, with Marina Mabrey putting CC to the floor after the Fever star shoved her rival. Sheldon’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant-1, and everyone else was handed a technical. But that really set the tone for the disastrous second half that was to follow. Clark and Sheldon kept exchanging words, and it culminated in an epic thirty-footer from the Indiana Fever guard late in the fourth.
Of course, we can’t forget the infamous Sophie Cunningham moment either, with a revenge foul that resulted in Connecticut fans demanding her head via petition. However, Indiana fans loved it! They’ve been saying that Caitlin Clark needed a protector, and the six-foot-one backup guard truly stepped up yesterday.
However, since the revenge foul was quite polarizing, it turned into a battle of opinions on the internet. There are two sides to this story, but that also means that we’ll find quite a few double standards in people’s opinions from both sides. One highly decorated reporter has been caught in the crossfire due to her posts on X, and let’s just say that fans aren’t happy!
Fans react to Emmy-winning reporter’s bold Indiana Fever take after Caitlin Clark incident
Compared to the first conflict, the second one was a lot more serious. Jacy Sheldon was going for a layup in the dying embers of the game, knowing that her team had already lost, when all of a sudden, Cunningham came charging in. The Indiana Fever guard wrapped up her Connecticut counterpart, showcasing her hand-to-hand prowess from practicing martial arts consistently, for a really hard foul. And as expected, social media went wild!
Natalie Esquire, a two-time Emmy winning journalist, tweeted, “No place in the game for what Sophie Cunningham did. That warrants further review and penalty from the league.” And fans weren’t necessarily pleased with it. Even though the NBCSports reporter is quite an established and respected name in the business, Indiana fans were offended by her comments.
No place in the game for what Sophie Cunningham did. That warrants further review and penalty from the league.
— Natalie Esquire (@natfluential) June 18, 2025
One fan on X pointed out how Marina Mabrey was equally as responsible for yesterday’s situation. “Looking for your post about how there’s no room for what Mabrey did. Did I miss it or are we just making our bias this obvious? Thats rhetorical btw.” They said, and it makes sense. Mabrey acted as Sheldon’s ‘protector’, and shoved CC to the floor, and it was a similar situation in which Cunningham was criticized as well. “I bet you loved the Jacy/Marina one two combo on Caitlin tho huh?” Another fan tweeted, showing us that it was a common sentiment between fans.
The reaction to Cunningham’s hard foul was a lot more severe than any other play in the game. Rachid Meziane, the Connecticut Sun head coach, called it ‘disrespectful’ and ‘stupid’. However, fans were quick to point out that the officiating was quite partial during the game against the Sun.
A user on X put in the effort to give examples for this failure in officiating. “No place to eye gouge a player and then blindside them with a deadball knockdown either. Last game vs sun, Sheldon took out coulson and Cunningham, too. The officials did nothing about any of this. Was it a hard flagrant foul? Yes. Should be have been ejected? Maybe. But if maybrey and Sheldon weren’t ejected earlier in the game, then maybe not. Not mad at the ejection on Sophie though. I get it and I love Sophie for it. Saying enough is enough and did something about it, now yall cry.” It was a balanced perspective coming from the Indiana Fever fan, as they weren’t opposed to Cunningham’s ejection.
It’s always more difficult for fanbases to accept criticism in a conflict if the other side takes no responsibility. There have been fewer words on the acts committed by Sheldon and Mabrey than what happened with Cunningham, and that has aggravated fans to quite a large extent.
“Sophie’s ankle Sydney’s bloody nose Lexie’s hard foul Caitlin’s face rake & two shoves Yeah right. Nasty woman.” A fan replied to Esquire, while another user took it a step further. “No place in the game for hateful, biased hypocrites like you”, they said, outright expressing dislike for the NBC reporter.
Indiana’s fan base has always been extremely loyal, and quick to rise in defense of their stars. As the saying goes, “In 49 states it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana”. It will be interesting to see how the WNBA handles this Sun v Fever situation going forward, because these many fouls in one night? That’s simply unacceptable for players and referees alike.
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