Caitlin Clark had a brief altercation with a key player from the U.S. gold medal victory in Paris.
During the second quarter of the Fever’s first game after the Olympic break at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night, Clark committed a tough but seemingly routine foul on Mercury guard Kahleah Copper.
As Clark raced back to thwart a fast break, she made a hard foul across Copper’s arm to block the star guard from an easy layup or a possible and-1 opportunity, leaving Copper unable to get a shot off.
Copper, who scored 12 points and led Team USA in the fourth quarter of their gold medal victory over France, seemed frustrated by the foul and needed to be restrained by a teammate while she exchanged words with Clark.
Clark, who had experienced numerous tough fouls earlier in the season, appeared puzzled by the reaction to the play.
Clark responded with a simple, ‘It’s just a foul.’ The No. 1 overall pick, who controversially missed out on Team USA, let her performance speak for itself, delivering 29 points and 10 assists in the Fever’s 98-89 victory.
Meanwhile, Copper led all scorers with 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Mercury, who also had gold medalists Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner on their roster.
“You expected them to come in brimming with confidence, especially with three gold medalists on their team,” Clark remarked. “Their confidence was sky-high, but I thought we came out and really set the tone.”
The game also saw another intense exchange when the Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell and the Mercury’s Natasha Cloud clashed following a hard screen set by NaLyssa Smith.
Mitchell shoved Cloud, leading to a tussle that escalated as their teammates intervened to separate them.
Clark, fresh off what appeared to be a restful break from basketball, enjoyed some sunny relaxation on a boat with her Fever teammates and even had the chance to meet Aaron Judge at a Yankees game with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.
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