The Indiana Fever fell to the Golden State Valkyries 88-75 on Wednesday night in another game where Caitlin Clark played under a minutes restriction.
Clark played 25 minutes, scoring 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field while adding six assists and three rebounds.
Caitlin Clark Erupts at Officials
In the second quarter, Clark erupted at the officials after a questionable call involving Aliyah Boston.
After the whistle blew, Clark turned around, pumped her fist in frustration, and got in the official’s face. Her reaction stemmed from a missed call moments earlier, when Kiah Stokes appeared to knee her in the quad while she drove to the basket, but officials did not call a foul.
Check it out:
Caitlin Clark appeared to be limping after what she believed should have been called a foul.
After a no-call and visibly upset, Clark was issued a warning by the referee. pic.twitter.com/5xor2qqeOd
— espnW (@espnW) July 16, 2026
After the game, Clark called out the officials for missing the call.
“Kneed in the quad. That hurts. The ref can’t miss that,” Clark said. “And then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game. It’s ridiculous. You can’t miss calls like that. You can’t knee me in the leg and knock me over.”
Clark Facing Backlash
While Clark may have had a valid point about the officials missing a call, her reaction afterward did not sit well with many basketball fans.
@Lik__02: “She gotta learn to control herself. She’s worse than Luka and Luka is pretty [expletive] bad.”
@docthdeo1: “At this point, its the league and refs fault for this unhinged behavior. She can’t help herself and they’re afraid to rein her in.”
@Bob601771028: “She should have been ejected for that. And I’m a big fan.”
@Nation_First_X: “Passion is one thing, but screaming in the ref’s face crosses the line. Hope it doesn’t bite her later.”
@XcpJ9: “I’ve seen women in the league get a tech for way less. Dangerous look here.”
Clark’s Pregame Comments About Her Critics
Coincidentally, on the same day Clark faced criticism for her actions during the game, she addressed her critics before tipoff and acknowledged that outside opinions don’t have much impact on her.
“There’s gonna be people that love you, there’s gonna be people that hate you. It probably means you’re doing something right. None of that really affects me,” Clark said pregame. “And like I always say, the people’s opinions that matter are the people in our locker room, people in this organization, and my teammates. And you know I love you guys, but at the end of the day, if you don’t like me, my life’s still gonna go on.
“Not every one of you is gonna like me, and I understand that, and that’s okay. I think it’s just surrounding yourself with really good people. You gotta have thick skin to be in a position like this, and I think I have that too.”
Caitlin Clark Under Fire for Behavior During Valkyries Game