WNBA officials handed out five technicals in one sequence, and Rachel DeMita called it the “craziest overcorrection” she’s ever seen. The Indiana Fever’s clash against the Phoenix Mercury made the headlines, but not for being the Fever’s first win (86-77) after two straight defeats to the Atlanta Dream. Instead, controversial officiating and rising player tension dominated most of the game.

Afterward, WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita has made her feelings known about the entire situation with the game.

“That was the craziest overcorrection that I have ever seen from referees,” DeMita said on her YouTube channel. “So, it all started when Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner were running down the court, and their arms got tangled up, and they exchanged some words. Nobody pushed anybody. Like, they were just exchanging words.”

“The referees got in the mix,” DeMita added. “They called a tech on both of them. And then from that, it kind of escalated. Myisha Hines-Allen got involved, Sophie [Cunningham] got involved, and Alyssa Thomas got involved. But at this moment in time, I believe this was the beginning of the fourth quarter”

As Rachel DeMita said, this entire controversy started in the fourth quarter of play when Phoenix was initiating an offensive run. In the same sequence, Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner got tangled up near the paint, which led to a verbal tussle between the two players.

Soon, this heated exchange extended beyond these two players. Firstly, Myisha Hines-Allen got into a back-and-forth with Alyssa Thomas. Meanwhile, Sophie Cunningham started pointing fingers at Bonner all of a sudden, while the latter returned the favor with the same gestures.

The officials stepped in quickly, even though there were no heated physical exchanges between the two teams. All in all, the sequence saw five players in Clark, Hines-Allen, Cunningham, Bonner, and Thomas receive a technical foul each in the game.

Meanwhile, Hines-Allen received two technical fouls and was eventually ejected. While the controversy had its moment, DeMita had a bit of an issue with the game’s officiating.

There was clearly some taunting between the players of both teams. But there weren’t any signs of physical altercations between the two sides. Thus, giving away five technicals for that single sequence just doesn’t fit, and DeMita rightly said it feels like an “overcorrection.”

Besides the technical fouls, the Indiana Fever-Phoenix Mercury game also featured many calls. In fact, a total of 48 fouls were called on the two teams, and Rachel DeMita wasn’t at all pleased with these persistent whistles in the game, especially in the fourth quarter when the Fever were clearly heading towards a victory.

“At this moment, the Fever are up like 16 or 18 points when all of this was happening,” DeMita remarked. “But at this point in time, there was nothing like physical had happened. So, they all get assessed with technicals. And then after that, it’s when everything hit the fan. I feel like the referees completely ruined the flow of the game. Like for the rest of the quarter, there was a whistle blown every 20 seconds.”

Complaints against frequent whistles have been a recurring concern this season in the WNBA. Right from the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart to the Chicago Sky’s Sydney Taylor, several players have spoken out in the press conference. Now, after this technical foul fest, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has also shared her two cents.

Indiana Fever Head Coach Doubles Down on the Entire Officiating Fiasco Against Phoenix

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has never been too generous with the WNBA officials. Ever since last season, we’ve seen the Fever’s head coach relay her complaints about officiating at every opportunity. But on Monday, she took a measured tone in the post-game presser.

“I mean, they said that Caitlin got it for clapping,” White said via the Indiana Fever YouTube channel. “So, I guess that’s taunting. And then I was talking to the officials about it when the other stuff happened, so I didn’t really see exactly what was happening at the time. But look, it’s a competitive sport. Like that stuff happens. I felt the officials did a good job of getting everything under control.”

Nevertheless, this controversial fourth quarter didn’t affect the Indiana Fever’s tempo. The Fever returned to winning ways with this game. Caitlin Clark led the night with 24 points and 9 assists. Monique Billings and Kelsey Mitchell also scored in double figures as well.

With this win, the Fever are now 10-7 in the season, sitting third in the Eastern Conference. But these persistent fouls are something that the team will have to address quickly. Most importantly, Clark has already racked up five technicals this season, leading the league, and is just three more away from a suspension.

They host the Phoenix Mercury yet again on June 24 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. How excited are you for this rematch between these two teams? Do let us know in the comments.