The Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 86-77 on Monday night, and Caitlin Clark’s 24 points and nine assists were overshadowed by a volatile finish, the box score and game footage show.
With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Clark and Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner became entangled on a physical possession and exchanged words. Officials assessed Clark a technical foul, which was recorded as her fifth of the season.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham moved in and confronted Bonner, and cameras captured both players receiving technical fouls, game footage shows. Mercury player Alyssa Thomas and Indiana forward Myisha Hines-Allen also entered the altercation and were assessed double technicals by officials. Hines-Allen shoved Bonner moments later and was ejected after receiving a second technical foul, the officials ruled.
The sequence of whistles, reviews and ejections stretched the fourth quarter to 44 minutes. Clark said she appreciated the officials calling fouls and joked the period might be the longest fourth quarter in WNBA history. She added the team’s focus remained on winning.
The confrontation renewed a rivalry dating to a physical 2024 postseason encounter between Clark and Bonner, a history that added context to Monday’s tensions, according to game observers and footage.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
