Caitlin Clark confronts referee after non-call in Fever loss to Valkyries

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark approached a referee during the second quarter of Wednesday's home game against the Golden State Valkyries after a play in which she felt she was shoved by veteran Kiah Stokes and no foul was called. Moments later, officials called a foul on an Indiana teammate, prompting Clark to yell and use profanity while questioning the consistency of officiating. No technical foul was assessed.

Clark, who was playing under a minutes restriction as part of her recovery plan, left the court briefly in the second quarter but returned to the bench before halftime. She finished the game with 13 points, six assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes, shooting 1-for-8 from three-point range. The Fever were held to 75 points, matching a season low, and fell to a 14-10 record.

In a pre-game media session, Clark said she expects both praise and criticism and that it does not affect her performance. She added that she tries to maintain a thick skin in the public spotlight.

"There's gonna be people that love you, there's gonna be people that hate you. It probably means you're doing something right. None of that really affects me," Clark said.

The loss marked the Fever's second defeat of the season by a margin of 13 points.