Caitlin Clark clashed with Mercury guard and recent gold medal winner Kahleah Copper on Friday night after a complete but fairly routine foul.
Copper, who scored 12 points for Team USA as they beat France in the Olympic final and won gold, was heading toward Phoenix’s lane when Clark found her near the basket.
The Fever rookie wanted to make sure Copper couldn’t shoot and punched him in the arm hard enough to make sure that was the case.
Copper, however, was angered by the play and threw some undisclosed words at his opponent, while Clark appeared to respond: “It’s just a foul.”
A teammate also held Copper down to make sure he didn’t get close to Clark, but the situation never turned physical.
Caitlin Clark fouled Kahleah Copper on a fast break as the Fever beat the Mercury on Friday
Clark was a little taken aback by Copper’s angry reaction and seemed to say, “It’s just a foul.”
It’s been a rough rookie season for Clark at times, as she was hit by Sky’s Chennedy Carter in a now-infamous moment. Sky forward Angel Reese also fouled Clark hard in another game, though Reese insisted afterward that she was trying to make a play on the ball.
The Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell and the Mercury’s Natasha Cloud also clashed at a different point in Friday’s game after a tough screen.
Facing off against three Olympic gold medal winners in copper, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, Clark put in an incredible performance, scoring 29 points on Friday to lead her team to victory.
After a month-long break from the league for the Paris games, Clark came out firing and scored 16 points in the first half.
The Fever also found themselves leading 48-20 at one point.
But in the third quarter the Mercury overcame the deficit and even led by a point at one point, setting the stage for a nervy finish as Clark and the Fever rallied.
Caitlin Clark scored 29 points and Indiana Fever returned to the WNBA with a victory
His team has posted a 12-15 record after starting 2-9.
Clark also set another record: becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record 450 points and 200 assists in a season.
Despite her impressive night, Clark admitted the W’s break had left her trying to adjust to the pace of the game.
“I asked for a substitution after six minutes. To be honest, I thought: ‘Oh my God,'” Clark said.
“I thought I needed a quick minute here because we were playing fast and my defense wasn’t that good.”
The Fever will play the Seattle Storm in Indiana on Sunday.
