The Indiana Fever’s 88-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun quickly turned into an emotionally charged and heated affair. Tensions flared on the court as Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham found themselves at the center of a fiery altercation, with Marina Mabrey and Jacy Sheldon from the Sun heavily involved in the exchange.
Earlier in the game, Clark was poked in the eye by Sheldon and later shoved to the floor by Mabrey. In response, Cunningham amped up the physicality in the final minute. With just 46 seconds remaining, the Fever guard committed a hard foul on Sheldon, and a now-viral clip showed Cunningham grabbing her by the neck as emotions boiled over.
The internet exploded following the incident, with Cunningham stepping into the role of enforcer and sending a clear message: the Fever won’t be pushed around. Fans took to social media with strong reactions, many praising the former Phoenix Mercury guard for standing up for Caitlin Clark and getting what they called "justice."
"Sophie Cunningham got justice for Caitlin Clark!" a fan said.
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Sophie Cunningham was ejected from the game
Sophie Cunningham was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and subsequently ejected from the game. However, her ejection had little impact as the result was already well in hand. Additionally, Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen were both assessed technical fouls for their involvement in the altercation and were also ejected from the game.
Talking about Cunningham's performance, she came off the bench and played 22 minutes. The star guard dropped a stat line of five points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal, while shooting 2 of 5 from the floor, including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Fever improved to 6-5 record and qualified for the Commissioner's Cup final.