A missed call led to quite the kerfuffle.
A new video of the contentious Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese drama from Saturday has emerged that shows Reese shoving from behind the Fever’s Natasha Howard moments before Clark’s hard foul on her rival.
Reese clearly committed a foul but it did not elicit a whistle, which Clark pointed out by extending her arm toward the area where the push-off just occurred.
Reese corralled the rebound and then drove toward the hoop before Clark prevented her from getting a shot up with a hard foul that knocked Reese to the floor and has since become a national storyline.
This new angle provides a little more context regarding what led into the moment, with Clark seeing Reese get away with one and then preventing an easy basket.
The former Iowa star said as much after the Fever’s 93-58 season-opening triumph.
“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark said. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”
Reese did not appreciate the foul in the moment.
She fell to the floor after the foul and tried to walk toward Clark, who had turned her back on her foe.
A referee and Indiana’s Aaliyah Boston got in Reese’s way in a tense scene.
Clark received a flagrant 1 foul, while Boston and Reese earned offsetting technicals.
Reese later downplayed the foul.
She notched a double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds, while Clark upped her with a triple-double featuring a game-high 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“Basketball play, refs got it right, move on,” Reese said.
The skirmish represented the latest chapter in the Reese vs. Clark rivalry dating to their college days.
Reese famously did the John Cena “you can’t see me” hand gesture to Clark — who had done the same gesture earlier in the tournament — while LSU downed Iowa in the 2023 national title game, and the two have been linked ever since.
Clark’s Iowa team knocked LSU out of the tournament one year later, and Clark has since enjoyed more success since being selected No. 1 in the 2024 draft while Reese slipped to No. 7.
The guard then won Rookie of the Year last year over Reese.
Saturday’s game has since been marred due to allegations of racial comments by fans toward Reese, which the WNBA is investigating.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the league said in its statement Sunday. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.”