Caitlin Clark has escaped a one-game suspension after the WNBA rescinded her technical foul against the Chicago Sky on Saturday.
In the third quarter of the Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Sky, Clark was driving to the basket when a defender, Natasha Cloud, blocked off her lane.
In an attempt to keep the play alive, Clark threw a pass in the direction of a teammate. As her momentum carried forward, the Fever star made contact with official Genesis Perrymond.
Perrymond then blew her whistle and called a technical foul on Clark.
It was the eighth technical that Clark has received this season, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
But the Fever appealed the decision and, shortly after Saturday’s 90-86 win, it was announced that the technical had been rescinded.
Caitlin Clark was assessed her eighth technical of the season but has avoided a suspension
The foul was given after she made contact with an official after trying to make a play
Clark was stunned by the initial call, as was her coach Stephanie White. After the coach began screaming at Perrymond for an explanation, she too was assessed a technical.
‘My tech was for saying that’s bulls***,’ White told reporters after the game.
‘Even though I heard the F-bomb the whole f***ing game. My tech was for saying that’s bulls***.’
Addressing Clark’s foul, White said, ‘That’s a bad call – incidental contact when you’re flying out of control and I thought her teammates should have come up and talked to her about that as well.
‘That’s really bad. That s*** happens all the time in a game – officials have to have some awareness in those moments and it didn’t happen.’
On the ABC broadcast, reporter Holly Rowe confirmed that the foul was given because there was ‘extra contact with Caitlin’s forearm.’
After the conclusion of the game, Rowe asked Clark about the technical – leading the player to laugh in response: ‘She said I ran into her, I’ve already watched it on tape,’ Clark responded.
Clark put up a phenomenal performance to help lead the Fever to a 90-86 win over the Sky
‘So, we’ll let the league decide, but it wasn’t intentional or anything. So I’m hoping it’s getting rescinded.’
Clark maintained that she didn’t say anything to the official and told Rowe ‘see you in New York on Tuesday’ when the Fever play the New York Liberty.
While Clark did commit six turnovers, she still put up a phenomenal performance to help lead the Fever to a 90-86 win over the Sky.
She dropped 26 points, four rebounds and 11 assists – along with two steals. Teammate Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever in scoring with 27 points of her own.
