The Indiana Fever’s Sunday trip to State Farm Arena to take on the Atlanta Dream left an impression on WNBA fans with the on-court action and more. From a technical standpoint, the game showed how a team could lose in overtime after nearly dominating the contest for three quarters. The matchup also highlighted just how dramatic a competition can become when internal and external factors come into play.

The title already highlights the most prominent ones, but let’s take a deeper look at the factors that became newsworthy on a day when Caitlin Clark set multiple records on the court.

The debate around XX/XY shirts

Right before the game started at 5 pm ET, XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey shared several photos of fans wearing her brand’s shirts on social media. Fans also showed up with placards and banners supporting Sophie Cunningham’s stance on protecting women’s sports. However, after the game, Jon Root shared a clip on social media detailing an unexpected incident that allegedly took place during the game.

The podcast host claimed on X that a local Georgia mother and daughter were discriminated against at the game for wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts. It’s important to note that there was no issue with their attire when they entered the arena or for a large chunk of the game.

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However, during overtime, a security guard allegedly told them they had to put Atlanta Dream shirts provided by the arena over their own shirts, or they would be escorted out. Later, after the game, the mother and daughter spoke on camera about their experience.

“We were made to cover up our XX-XY shirts at this game. They gave us T-shirts during overtime and told us we had to leave or cover our shirts up,” said the mother.

The duo even shared who informed the authorities about the T-shirt and why.

The incident upset many people, including Sey, who shared the story on social media. She even claimed that she would attend the Liberty-Fever game in New York and suggested that everyone wear that specific T-shirt.

Root also complained about the gaps in the arrangements for fans at the stadium. Allegedly, a large line had formed outside the arena before the game, with little organization in place to manage the crowd.

The debate around the National Anthem

There was some drama around the Dream’s absence on the court for the national anthem. Jon Root posted on X that the Atlanta Dream did not come onto the court for the National Anthem before the game against the Indiana Fever.

The Fever, meanwhile, remained on the court for the anthem. However, this was not the first time Atlanta had opted not to take the court while the Star-Spangled Banner was sung.

Since 2020, staying in the locker room or tunnel during the anthem has been a pregame choice for several WNBA franchises, including the Atlanta Dream. The decision has repeatedly drawn criticism. On Sunday, the Dream’s gesture toward Stacey Abrams also came under scrutiny.

The scenes between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

The question is: did Caitlin Clark laugh at Angel Reese after the regulation buzzer-beater miss? Clips and captions circulating on social media claimed that she did. But what actually happened?

At the end of regulation, with the game tied, Reese had a chance to win it for Atlanta at the rim. Her first attempt bounced off the rim and fell back into her hands. She then attempted to make a basket under pressure from Aliyah Boston, but her layup missed.

Cameras caught Clark smiling as time expired, sending the game into overtime. That led to a perception that Clark was mocking Reese. It isn’t entirely unfounded, as Clark had a smile plastered on her face while Reese had a grimace. It could be seen as a smug expression at Reese’s miss, as Clark knew her team had scraped their way to overtime after being outplayed through quarters two and three.

However, there is enough scope in the video to say that Clark’s smile was not even directed at Reese. The Fever guard isn’t seen staring at the Dream forward in the video. It’s just a split-second glance to a place over Reese’s shoulder.

Given where Clark was at the time Reese attempted to win the game, she was seemingly walking under the hoop back to her bench or just looking at her own teammates. Also, the smile could very well have been a slight celebration among teammates due to the fact that the Fever managed to force overtime after being eight down at the start of the fourth.

However, that was not the only notable moment between the two stars.

With about 4:10 remaining in the first quarter, Clark and Reese were battling in the paint as the Atlanta star positioned herself for a potential rebound. As Clark resisted her position, Reese appeared to make contact with Clark and shove her away. Did the referee call a foul?

No.

We’ll get to the officiating in the next point, but the incident was enough to show the intensity of the competition between the two stars in the middle of the court.

The officiating lapses during the game

The referee did not call a foul after Reese made contact with Clark and appeared to shove her away. However, Bryan Ault, the prominent face of Midwest Scouting, viewed the play differently and called it a flagrant foul on Clark.

Criticizing the officials’ decision, he wrote on X, “The fact that it wasn’t called by the official is more maddening than the foul itself.” 

That wasn’t the only instance in which the officiating came under scrutiny.

During the game, Clark also made contact with Allisha Gray and appeared to get hit in the face, but no foul was called.

Instead, Clark was called for a foul on Rhyne Howard, who was attempting a three-pointer with about 10 seconds remaining in overtime.

Clark immediately asked the Indiana bench to request a review. However, even after the officials reviewed the play following a challenge from Fever head coach Stephanie White, the foul stood. Experienced analyst Skip Bayless, however, sided with Clark and criticized the officials’ decision.

The Fever ultimately won 95-91 in overtime, but the officiating controversy overshadowed the result and may have taken away the focus from Clark’s heroics on the floor.

Clark set more WNBA history in the game

With her basket at 1:35 of the third quarter, Clark moved past Tammy Sutton-Brown’s 1,658 points for eighth place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.

She scored six more after that, with four points coming via free throws, to bring her career total to 1,666 points.

Clark also recorded the 23rd 25-point, 5-assist game of her career, moving into fifth place in WNBA history and breaking her tie with Kelsey Plum, who has 22 such games.

Additionally, it marked Clark’s 12th 25-point, 5-assist performance of the season, extending her league record for the most such games in a single WNBA season.

After the game, Fever head coach Stephanie White commented on what makes Clark such an elite playmaker.

“I feel like C (Clark) over the last four-five games, her floor game has been incredible. We all know she can score in bunches. She finds ways. The way that she’s getting us into offense, the way that she’s using the floor to get her teammates shots…She’s not getting bogged down trying to create something,” said White.

“She’s allowing the game to flow, and she’s doing a great job finding her teammates. When she does that, it opens things for her…at the timeout, I don’t think she expected to be that open. That was a result of all the ways she was getting everybody else involved throughout the course of the game.”

Yet, despite all the records and milestones, fans may not soon forget everything that unfolded throughout this dramatic game.