“Frustration With Myself”: Caitlin Clark Makes an Honest Confession After 4th Consecutive Loss in a Row vs LV Aces

Excelling on the court comes with some repercussions. For Clark, it’s the turnovers and technical fouls she’s accumulated over the season. As of now, she’s tied with Kahleah Copper and Diana Taurasi for the second-most technical fouls. “We’re definitely going to have a conversation… We can’t afford to have her sitting out because of avoidable fouls,” shared coach Christie Sides after Clark recorded her fifth technical foul of the season. But the series isn’t over for her.

On September 14th, Caitlin Clark and her team took the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to face the two-time defending champions for the fourth and final time this season. From the start, Clark had immense pressure on her shoulders to secure at least one win against LV. This might just have led her to commit a personal foul, which was later followed up by a technical foul in response to her reaction. “They’re never going to overturn that,” she said in a postgame conference.

For Clark, the first foul was “inadvertent contact to the base,” and the second was called by the refs for “hitting the distinction on the basket.” With the increasing number of turnovers and fouls, Clark’s “frustration with myself” was understandable. However, it didn’t end well for her. “It’s just one of the rules, I guess, of the game. So, it’s been normal. It is what it is,” she added.

Sensing the situation, Christie Sides immediately called the Indiana Fever rookie off the bench to calm her down, which was exactly what was needed at that moment. When Clark returned to the court, she was as dominant as ever. In 34 minutes of gameplay, she notched an impressive 18 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists on Friday night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Fever to overcome the tough competition from their opponents.

Fever at its worst before playoffs

Over the season, Indiana Fever has faced LA four times but has failed to secure a win in any of the matchups. Even in the last game, A’ja Wilson and company finished with a four-point lead — 78-74. Now, the Fever have slipped to 19-19, while the Aces soared to 24-13 this season.

However, this doesn’t impact either team much, as both rosters have already secured playoff spots. The Aces stand at No. 4, while the Fever, for the first time in nearly a decade, have claimed the sixth berth. Still, the road to a WNBA championship won’t be easy for the Fever, especially with their standout, Clark, recording negative marks.

As of now, she’s just one whistle away from having the most technical fouls this season. If that happens, she would face a suspension for one game. The 22-year-old Iowa native must avoid technical fouls for the next two games. But what about the playoffs? Even if she earns one during the playoffs, she won’t face the same consequences.