Caitlin Clark clashes with Team USA gold medalist Kahleah Copper in heated WNBA return for Fever rookie
Caitlin Clark collided with Mercury guard and newly minted gold medalist Kahleah Copper on Friday night after a thorough but fairly routine foul.
Copper, who scored 12 points for Team USA as they defeated France in the Olympic final to win gold, was driving onto the court for Phoenix when she was met at the basket by Clark.
The Fever rookie wanted to make sure Copper didn’t get a shot off and swung down hard enough on her arm to make sure she did.
Copper, however, was angry about the play and lashed out at her opponent, while Clark appeared to say back: “It’s just a foul.”
Copper was restrained by a teammate to ensure she wouldn’t approach Clark, but the situation never became physical.
Caitlin Clark fouled Kahleah Copper on a fast break on Friday, giving the Fever a win over the Mercury
Clark was somewhat surprised by Copper’s angry response and appeared to say, “It’s just a foul.”
It was a rough rookie season at times for Clark, as she was body-checked by Sky forward Chennedy Carter in a now-infamous moment. Sky forward Angel Reese also caught Clark with a hard foul in another game, though Reese insisted afterward that she was trying to make a play on the ball.
Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell and Mercury’s Natasha Cloud also came face to face at another point in the match on Friday after a hard screen.
Clark put on an incredible performance when she faced three Olympic gold medalists: Copper, Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. She scored 29 points on Friday to lead her team to victory.
After being out of the league for a month due to the games against Paris, Clark came out strong from the start, scoring 16 points in the first half.
At one point the Fever even led 48-20.
But in the third quarter, the Mercury fell behind and at one point led by a point, making for a thrilling finish as Clark and the Fever mounted a comeback.
Caitlin Clark scored 29 points as Indiana Fever returned to WNBA with a win
Her team has achieved a 12-15 record after starting 2-9.
Clark also set another record, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to score 450 points and 200 assists in a single season.
Despite her impressive performance, Clark admitted that the W’s break made it difficult for her to adjust to the pace of the match.
“I asked for a time of under six minutes. If I’m honest, I thought, Holy cow,” Clark said.
‘I thought: I need a quick minute here, because we played fast and my defense is not that good.’
The Fever play the Seattle Storm in Indiana on Sunday.