The Caitlin Clark villain arc might officially be here. And it doesn’t look like the WNBA officials are liking it very much. On Friday night, the Indiana Fever finally started a win streak after defeating the Golden State Valkyries 90-82. But while the win itself gave Indiana plenty to celebrate, the game also turned into one of Clark’s most chaotic nights of the season, so much so that by the end of the night, even the Fever star herself seemed completely stunned by just how many fouls and penalties the officiating crew handed her during the game.

While speaking to reporters in the post-game interview, the 24-year-old appeared genuinely shocked after learning she was assessed a technical foul for one of the most talked-about incidents from the game.

“Did I get a technical? Oh, no way. It just makes sense for the refs tonight. So, I’m not surprised. Wow. I could have gotten ejected. I should have been a little safer in the second half,” she said. “Well, guess I have some fines coming my way. And a flagrant. Wow. Well, the refs were interesting, but I’m not going to say anything else because obviously I got probably a thousand-dollar worth of fines coming my way, but I was just trying to get the rebound, and I didn’t know I got a technical foul.”

This matchup featured a staggering 50 total fouls between both teams as officials remained heavily involved throughout the contest. Out of those, Caitlin Clark alone picked up five fouls, which included both a technical foul and a flagrant foul penalty one. Just one more PF and she would have been out of the game. But let’s talk about why she got these calls.

The tech came near the end of the first half after Clark got tangled up with Valkyrie’s forward Janelle Salaun.

The sequence started after Caitlin brought the ball up the floor and found Lexie Hull open in the corner with a wraparound pass. Clark then crashed into the paint looking for the rebound, where she made contact with Salaun. Salaun pushed Clark away, and after Hull missed the shot, she grabbed the rebound, which visibly frustrated the Fever guard. Clark then swiped at the ball after the buzzer sounded before giving Salaun a shove. Before things got more animated, players from both teams quickly stepped in to separate the two.

Officials eventually assessed matching technical fouls to both Clark and Salaun. But that was far from her only moment of controversy during the night.

Later in the game, she was also called for a flagrant foul after setting an illegal screen that sent Valkyries guard Veronica Burton to the floor.

However, what’s even more surprising is that even head coach Stephanie white wasn’t aware of the tech on Caitlin Clark.

“I didn’t know that she got a technical either. I guess they announced it, but nobody told us,” the coach said after a reporter asked her if she was worried about Clark getting ejected.

But even though she avoided fouling out, the technical will still cost her financially. Since it was only her second tech of the season, the Fever star is expected to receive a $500 fine under the league’s new CBA rules. However, repeated technical fouls start carrying steeper penalties later in the season, with players facing $1,000 fines beginning with their fourth technical and eventually receiving warning letters from the league after their fifth.

Still, despite all the whistles, confrontations, and chaos surrounding her throughout the night, Clark never stopped being aggressive and led her team to a win.

Caitlin Clark’s ‘villain mode’ ended with exactly what Indiana needed

Just two days after sitting out against the Portland Fire because of a back issue, Clark returned to the court looking fully locked in offensively and finished the night with 22 points and nine assists.

And the best part about her performance was that she did not look hesitant even after claiming that her decision to sit out against Portland mostly came down to confidence in her body.

“I think, at the end of the day, it’s me and my confidence,” she explained before the game. “Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries is a real mental challenge.”

As soon as the game tipped off, Caitlin Clark immediately started controlling the pace with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. But to give where the credit is due, the Valkyries made them work for every point. They even went on to lead the game with 7-points into halftime. However, the Fever completely flipped the game in the third quarter behind Clark’s shotmaking and Boston’s dominance inside.

They outscored them 29-17 in the third quarter alone, with Clark pouring in eight points. Whereas, Boston finished with her 42nd career double-double after recording 16 rebounds, while Mitchell added 19 points of her own.

But the biggest tone-setter throughout the night was, without a doubt, Caitlin Clark. She flirted with foul trouble, jawed with defenders, and still finished with the most points and most assists on her team. Though let’s not forget – most fouls as well.

The Fever will now get another crack at the Valkyries when they will lock horns again on May 28. So it will be interesting to see whether her ‘villain mode’ makes another appearance in the rematch.