INDIANAPOLIS — The Fever-Sun matchup on Tuesday night ended with an 88-71 Indiana win, and had six technical fouls, three ejections and two flagrant fouls by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Those fouls, save for one assessed to Aneesah Morrow for bouncing the ball in frustration, came from two different scuffles that happened in the second half.
First, in the third quarter, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the eye while Clark was trying to pass the ball. Clark reacted immediately, grabbing her face and turning back to Sheldon. The two shoved each other as their teammates ran in, Sun center Tina Charles getting in between Sheldon and Clark.
Sun guard Marina Mabrey then ran into the scrum and puffed out her chest, knocking Clark to the ground. Sheldon was originally called for a common foul that was upgraded to a flagrant 1 after review, and officials assessed technicals to Clark, Charles and Mabrey.
Then, with 46 seconds left in the game, Sophie Cunningham grabbed Sheldon’s head while she was going up for a layup. Sheldon fell to the ground, but got up and immediately rushed Cunningham. Sun guard Lindsay Allen also rushed Cunningham, and the fight spilled over into the fans on the baseline as Cunningham pulled Sheldon’s hair.
After review, Cunningham was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul, and Allen and Sheldon were both ejected with technicals for fighting.
IndyStar conducted a pool report with crew chief Ashley Gloss following the game. This is what she said:
POOL REPORTER: Chloe Peterson (IndyStar)
CREW CHIEF: Ashley Gloss
GAME: Connecticut Sun @ Indiana Fever
DATE: June 17, 2025
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QUESTION: Why was Jacy Sheldon’s foul upgraded to a flagrant 1?
ASHLEY GLOSS: In the judgement of the officials, the foul by Sheldon was unnecessary, the contact to (Caitlin) Clark’s face. Furthermore, there was wind up and impact, and the contact to the face carries a potential for injury.
QUESTION: What went into deciding Marina Mabrey should get a technical instead of something more severe, like an ejection?
ASHLEY GLOSS: The contact made by Mabrey did not rise to the level of an ejection. Additionally, (it) did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty two.
QUESTION: Why did Caitlin Clark get a technical foul?
ASHLEY GLOSS: After the foul by Sheldon, Clark reacted in an unsportsmanlike manner towards Sheldon.
QUESTION: Why did Tina Charles get a technical foul?
ASHLEY GLOSS: Tina runs towards Clark in an unsportsmanlike manner and taunts her.
QUESTION: In the fourth quarter, why was Sophie Cunningham’s foul upgraded to a flagrant 2?
ASHLEY GLOSS: We felt that that contact by Cunningham was unnecessary and excessive.
QUESTION: Why did Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen get assessed technicals for fighting?
ASHLEY GLOSS: The altercation that occurred after the foul by Sophie, we ruled it as a fight. Sheldon and Lindsay Allen were both escalators in that altercation and therefore they were ejected for fighting.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 players were ejected in Fever-Sun game. Refs explain why Marina Mabrey wasn’t for knocking Caitlin Clark down
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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