Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers were involved in a heated exchange during the second quarter of their WNBA game on Thursday night. The incident occurred with 10 seconds left in the quarter, with the Wings leading by two points.
Bueckers, who was guarding Clark, appeared to reach for Clark in an attempt to foul her as the Wings had a foul to give. The referees did not immediately call a foul, and the two players became tangled. Clark was seen flailing her arms before tossing the ball, and appeared to argue with a referee. Lip readers suggest Bueckers then told Clark to "Calm down" while extending her arm.
A common foul was ultimately called on Bueckers for the play. Later in the third quarter, Bueckers received a technical foul after arguing with an official following a separate foul on Clark.
The Dallas Wings went on to defeat the Indiana Fever 91-85. This win followed a 98-87 loss for the Wings against the Fever on the previous Friday.
Both star guards, former No. 1 overall draft picks, had challenging offensive performances. Clark finished the game with 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field, in addition to nine assists. Bueckers recorded 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting, including 0-of-2 from three-point range, along with eight assists and six rebounds.
Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 32 points.
The Fever are scheduled to play the New York Liberty on Saturday, while the Wings will face the Seattle Storm on Sunday. As of Friday, neither team has secured a playoff spot.
