The first matchup of the season between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky brought a new chapter in the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry, especially as they were involved in a tense moment during the game. But for South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, the competition between the two young stars is positive for the WNBA.
“I think officiating is a hard job, that’s one. To decipher whether that’s a Flagrant 1 or not, hard job, hard job,” Staley said on The Breakfast Club on 105.1 FM in New York City. “I do think that they understand the dynamics of Angel and Caitlin. I do. I think it’s great for our game.”
Staley said that the foul is part of the sport, so it shouldn’t be taken out of context. “Don’t treat us as anything other than being a sport. That happens in every sport — soccer, basketball, football, it happens in every sport, so let it be,” she said. “I’m gonna take the lead of Angel and Caitlin, and that lead is they said it was a foul, the officials got it right, we’re moving on. I’m gonna take their lead.”
Both Clark and Reese had brushed off the incident after the match, which ended with a Fever’s victory of 93-58. While the Fever guard was not “sure what the refs saw to upgrade it [to flagrant upon review]”, she clarified that she was “not trying to do anything malicious.” Meanwhile, Reese said it was a “basketball play,” and didn’t comment more on it.
However, despite their comments, the incident didn’t stay on the court. The WNBA announced that they were opening an investigation due to alleged racist comments said from fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse towards Reese.
Reese and Clark reacts to the WNBA investigation
Clark and Reese also commented on the investigation, with both players showing their full support to the WNBA. “There’s no place for that in our game, there’s no place for that in society,” Clark said on Monday after the Fever’s practice.
Reese echoed Clark’s words after the Sky’s practice Tuesday. “Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that. I think the WNBA and our organization have done a great job supporting me,” Reese said. “I’ve had communication from so many people across this league. … This whole process, it could happen to anyone,” she added.
Despite the controversy, the match came with some positives. Reese and Clark’s rivalry has brought attention to the WNBA, with the match drawing an average of 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA regular season game on ESPN in history.