\n<\/p>\n
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has criticised referees for their “egregious” and “utterly disrespectful” officiating around star player Caitlin Clark.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Fever suffered a 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday with Clark going off injured in the third quarter after multiple tangles with the opposition.<\/p>\n
One incident saw Mercury’s star guard Alyssa Thomas appear to knee Clark in the groin and push her fist into her neck during a tussle for possession after Clark fell to the floor.<\/p>\n
No foul was called during the game but Thomas was sanctioned retrospectively on Thursday, with the WNBA giving her a one-game suspension for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area”.<\/p>\n
Shortly after that incident, Clark was fouled during a three-pointer which led to an awkward landing for the 24-year-old, who appeared in discomfort as she got back to her feet.<\/p>\n
The officials reviewed the play, but it was for a potential hostile act by Clark for hitting a defender in the face, rather than for a foul on the American.<\/p>\n
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” said White. <\/p>\n
“And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.<\/p>\n
“We spent all off-season looking at officiating. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called.”<\/p>\n
Clark eventually departed in the second half with a back injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n
The incidents followed a heated match between the two sides earlier this week, where the Fever triumphed 88-77 in a contest marred by fouls and confrontations.<\/p>\n
“The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s dangerous,” said White.<\/p>\n
“When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”<\/p>\n
Clark became one of the biggest women’s basketball stars of all time after scoring over 3,900 points at collegiate level, which is more than any male or female in history.<\/p>\n
Her performances for the Iowa Hawkeyes led to record-breaking<\/a> viewing figures in America, before she was selected by Fever as the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n