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Things got heated in the Indiana Fever's 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday as Sophie Cunningham and Marina Mabrey both received flagrant 2 fouls for their actions. The Fever guard was involved in an altercation with Sun guard Jacy Sheldon late in the fourth quarter.
Sheldon was charging at the rim in a fast break when she ran into Cunningham, who used her body to stop the layup. Meanwhile, Marina Mabrey was involved in an altercation with the Fever star Caitlin Clark.
She shoved Clark during the third quarter after the latter was hit in the eye by Jacy Sheldon during a play. Initially, Mabrey had received a technical foul, but the offense was upgraded to a flagrant 2 after the game.
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On Wednesday, ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported on the status of both players on X. She revealed that both Cunningham and Mabrey will be fined, but no one will be suspended. The fans flooded the post's comment section after learning the news.
"Nasty precedent being set. For the rest of the season, I really don’t want to see anyone call for any other player to be suspended for minor dust ups if this is the move the league is making," one fan said.
"Sophie not getting suspended is very sus," another fan said.
"Sophie should be suspended for hair pulling," another fan said.
One fan called out the league's decision as 'malpractice' for not suspending Cunningham.
"sophie not being suspended is malpractice," the fan commented.
"Ridiculous WNBA. Cunningham’s behavior deserves a suspension! Her trashy classless thug behavior should not be tolerated in the W. Cathy really did create a space for hate," another fan said.
"So grabbing ppl around their necks is no suspensions. Noted 📝" another fan said.
Sophie Cunningham sends cryptic message to critics after getting ejected
Sophie Cunningham's foul on Jacy Sheldon in the final moments of the fourth quarter, with her team in the lead, was deemed unnecessary by many. However, the Fever guard seemingly trolled her critics with her Instagram story after getting ejected.
She shared a picture of herself in Fever's jersey and with open arms. Ironically enough, she fouled Sheldon by pulling her to the ground and wrapping her arms around her in the process.
The Fever guard shared the post without a caption, leaving interpretation to the viewers. Cunningham has played a key role this season. She is responsible for handling he ball in Caitlin Clark's absence, generating perimeter offense and bringing her trademark tenacity against tough opponents.
Sophie Cunningham is coming back from an ankle injury, which cost her five games this season. However, her comeback has been good as she is averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while playing a bench role.
