Caitlin Clark shows referee her bloody mouth after an elbow draws no foul in playoff exit
A slow-motion replay puts the painful collision back in focus after Indiana’s season ends in Las Vegas
Caitlin Clark wanted the referee to see what the whistle had missed. After taking an elbow to the face late in Indiana’s deciding playoff game against Las Vegas, the Fever guard lifted her lip to show an official the blood in her mouth. No foul had been called.
The collision happened with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, as Clark and Aces guard Jewell Loyd battled for a rebound. A slow-motion clip circulating after the game gives viewers another look at the contact that left Clark on the floor during Indiana’s fight to keep its season alive.
Clark returns, but Indiana runs out of time
Clark briefly left the court before returning to the game. Her protest made her frustration clear, but the footage and the bleeding do not establish that Loyd intended to hurt her. Reports described the elbow as accidental contact during the rebound attempt.
The painful sequence came during a game Indiana ultimately lost 94-83 at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 1. Las Vegas won the best-of-three series 2-1 and advanced to the WNBA semifinals, ending the Fever’s postseason.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Clark finished with 18 points, two rebounds, four assists and four blocks, shooting 6-for-18 from the field. Indiana had forced the deciding game, but could not produce another win on the road.
