Indiana Fever’s Coach Critiques Recent Game and Officials

Stephanie White, the head coach of the Indiana Fever, voiced her frustrations following a closely contested game against the New York Liberty, which the Fever lost 90-88. During the match, a crucial play involved New York’s Natasha Cloud making contact with Indiana’s Caitlin Clark, yet the referee opted not to call a foul.

White expressed her discontent, stating, “I thought she was fouled. I think it’s pretty bad what’s going on with us in the last few games. The disrespect for our team is incredibly unbelievable right now, so it’s a shame that it doesn’t go both ways or it’s not going both ways.”

Additionally, White acknowledged that there is a system in place for teams to communicate their concerns about officiating decisions. However, she raised doubts about its effectiveness, saying, “There’s a system that allows you to send things and communicate your complaints, so to speak. I don’t know if you feel that the system works.”

Clark herself remained noncommittal regarding her thoughts on the officiating in the last play, stating, “I don’t know. I have to go back and watch,” after initially expressing her frustration by looking at the officials and shouting when the foul was not called. Her teammate, Sophie Cunningham, also echoed similar sentiments, approaching the referees to protest.

In the replay of the game, it appeared that Cloud had made shoulder contact with Clark, which contributed to the loose ball situation that went unaddressed by the officials. This loss placed the Fever at 2-2 for the season, trailing in a series of controversial calls in their first four games.