Caitlin Clark HAMMERS WNBA Referees after Getting BEAT UP on Court! Tells Fever Fans DON’T GIVE UP!
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Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever survive Chicago Sky’s late charge to earn first home win, 71-70
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NaLyssa Smith scored 18 points and Caitlin Clark had 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists Saturday as the Indiana Fever won their first home game of the season, 71-70, over the Chicago Sky.
Indiana (2-8) snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 1-4 at home on Pride Day and in the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup game. The Fever closed it out with Erica Wheeler running down the final 6.6 seconds on the clock before passing to Clark, who tossed the ball high into the air.
Clark turned the tables on two of her college rivals — former LSU star Angel Reese and former South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso, each of whom beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the last two Division I national championship games.
Chennedy Carter had 19 points and six assists to lead the Sky (3-4). Marina Mabrey finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Reese finished with eight points and 13 rebounds while Cardoso had 11 points and six rebounds in her regular-season professional debut.
Dana Evans had a chance to force overtime but missed the first of two free throws with 6.6 seconds to go. Chicago never got the ball back and finished the game on a 12-2 run.
But this contest was about far more than scores, stats or in-season tournament results.
It featured three of the top seven picks from the April draft — three players in a generational draft class, each capable of becoming the new face of the WNBA. It also capped a week when Fever fans were treated to seeing this year’s first four draft picks and five of the top seven up close at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
But it was the rematches involving Clark, a two-time NCAA player of the year and two-time Division I national runner-up, against Cardoso, a two-time national champ with South Carolina, and especially Reese, a 2023 national champ with LSU, that captivated the crowd. Cardoso hadn’t played since injuring her right shoulder during a May 3 preseason game.
While Fever coach Christie Sides attempted to play up the rivalry between the two Midwestern teams, the loud pregame ovation for Clark and a smattering of boos that were quickly drowned out by cheers for Reese during pregame introductions typified the showdown.
Cardoso entered for the first time midway through the first quarter and made an immediate impact. She had six points and four rebounds during a six-minute stint in which the Sky erased a 22-16 deficit, took the lead and sustained the momentum to complete a 15-4 spurt after Cardoso departed midway through the second quarter.
Clark helped ignite Indiana’s response, a 9-0 run just before halftime, to give the Fever a 35-31 lead.
Chicago charged back to tie the score at 37 early in the second half, but Indiana answered with six straight points and closed the third quarter with a 54-49 lead. The Sky rallied again late after falling into a 68-58 deficit but couldn’t come all the way back.
Sky: Get a short break before hosting the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
Fever: Visit New York for the second time this season on Sunday.
Michael Marot, The Associated PressHOT NEWS:
CHIEFS KICKER HARRISON BUTKER BREAKS HIS SILENCE IN FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE HE SHOOK UP THE NATION WITH HIS CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH (VIDEO)
VIDEO: Harrison Butker Breaks His Silence On His Polarizing Comments In His First Public Appearance Since He Shook Up The Nation
Harrison Butker (Photo via @realDailyWire/Twitter)NFL star Harrison Butker has doubled down on recent comments made during a graduation ceremony, which spiked rife debate around the nation.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker made his first public appearance since said comments on Friday night, speaking at the Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville, Tennessee, in support of a Catholic charity.
Butker remained intransigent with claims that the hate he has received will not cause him to waver from his beliefs or from being “unapologetic” where his faith is concerned.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” he said. “Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe.”
“In my seven years in the NFL, I’ve become familiar with positive and negative comments. But the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field. But, as to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most, my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made, and one I do not regret at all.”
BREAKING: In first public remarks since his commencement speech sparked a liberal meltdown, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker makes very clear he’s not backing down from his faith. @buttkicker7 pic.twitter.com/q3Vh0KpvTg
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 25, 2024
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Butker previously made a speech during a graduation ceremony at Benedictine College in Kansas earlier this month in which he suggested that women should stay at home to raise their families and allow men to focus on being breadwinners.
The speech garnered nationwide attention and has been addressed by many prominent members of the media.
Harrison Butker HAs Quickly Become A Fan Favorite
The three-time Super Bowl champion has been dragged for his opinion, with a petition to have him released by the Chiefs being drawn up and attracting signatures in the hundreds of thousands. However, he has received plenty of support, including from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Butker’s jersey sales also spiked in the wake of his speech as fans headed to the NFL Shop in droves, making his No. 7 one of the most-bought around the league,
“As the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion,” he pointed out.
It appears Harrison Butker has no intention of backing down from what he said at the commencement ceremony. The NFL and the Chiefs won’t punish him either.
HOT NEWS:
ANGEL REESE’S MOM CALLS CAITLIN CLARK FANS RACIST AFTER BACKLASH TO JEALOUS WNBA ROOKIE COMMENTS!
Angel Reese’s Mom Calls CAITLIN CLARK FANS RACIST after BACKLASH to JEALOUS WNBA Rookie Comments!
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Angel Reese’s mom denies daughter’s X post was aimed at Caitlin Clark: ‘Of course you’re about clicks’
Reese deleted a social media post that many deemed a jab at Clark
Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.
A since-deleted post from Angel Reese was all innocent, her mother says.
The Chicago Sky rookie seemed to reignite her feud with former college basketball rival Caitlin Clark on social media Thursday night.
The Sky handed the New York Liberty their first loss of the season with a 90-81 win. Reese, who was selected by the Sky with the No. 7 overall pick out of LSU, added 13 points and nine rebounds.
Angel Reese, #5 of the Chicago Sky, looks on before the game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 3, 2024, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
However, in celebrating their win, Reese took a thinly veiled shot at the Indiana Fever rookie, as the debate surrounding her impact on the league continues.
“And that’s on getting a WIN in a packed area not just ’cause of one player on our charter flight,” she wrote in a since-deleted post on X.
It was widely assumed the post was about Clark, and speculation grew when it was deleted. However, Reese’s mother says it was actually directed at the media.
LSU’s Angel Reese, left, and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, right, pose for a photo before the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
The speculation also led to “racist & vile comments,” she said.
“She was not attacking CC but bc you & the rest of those ‘children of the corn’ folks thought she was & once again sending her racist & vile comments she did. Her comment was directed towards the media but of course you’re about clicks,” she wrote with a shrugging emoji.
Angel Reese’s mom denied that her daughter took a shot at Caitlin Clark. (X)
The league’s recent growth is indisputable, but Reese believes it goes beyond just Clark.
“It’s not just one person, I think people don’t realize that (because) the narrative out there is that just one person changing the game,” she said Thursday during a press conference. “It’s a lot of us — me, Kamilla (Cardoso ), there’s Cameron (Brink), Rickea (Jackson). There’s so many great players and it’s been long overdue and just being able to see that our impact has been able to change the game.”
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky looks on before the game against the Dallas Wings on May 15, 2024, at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I love it for us all, and we’re just going to continue to keep going.”
Clark and the Fever earned their first win on Friday night, thanks to the rookie’s clutch threes down the stretch in front of a star-studded crowd in Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena against the Sparks.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
