Caitlin Clark is recording her first WNBA points, rebounds and, assists as she starts her professional career.
She added another first to her story Monday night: a technical foul.
Clark, who spent four years at Iowa, was not someone who took calls lightly. She complained often after the whistle, which drew some criticism from fans.
Some of the best NBA players do this, too, and fans have harped on the behavior. It just so happened that Clark's first technical foul was a costly one, as the Indiana Fever lost a nail-biter to the Connecticut Sun.
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Caitlin Clark technical foul: What did Fever star say to ref?
Clark used some NSFW language toward a referee after she picked up a foul later in the fourth quarter. The Indiana rookie was not pleased with the no-call on the other end when the Sun stole the ball from her at halfcourt.
Clark picked up a personal foul on the fastbreak, which ended up being a transition take foul. It then appeared that she said, "That's a f—ing foul," directly to the referee.
Caitlin Clark picks up a technical foul late in the 4th quarter. pic.twitter.com/hAC5JBL0e5
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 21, 2024
That was enough for the official to administer a technical foul, Clark's first of her WNBA career.
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The Sun missed the technical free throw, made the take-foul free throw, and missed the shot on their ensuing possession. The Fever got a break. What could have been a four- or five-point swing was just one point.
Still, the game came down to the final moments with Alyssa Thomas sealing the game with two free throws with five seconds remaining. The Sun won 88-84, leaving the Fever still searching for their first win.
Clark learned a valuable lesson about complaining to the refs, and it will be worth watching if she tones down her objections going forward.