Why Caitlin Clark thanked WNBA ref after giving her controversial tech

Caitlin Clark explains her “personal frustration” that led to her technical foul vs. Storm.

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark getting the WNBA rookie assist record, of course, couldn’t have happened quietly. For starters, the Indiana Fever decimated the Seattle Storm 92-75 Sunday afternoon. It got so bad that Clark and teammates Lexie Hull and Kelsey Mitchell carouseled the spotlight basically every other possession. Clark also picked up her fifth technical foul this year.

With about seven minutes to go in the third quarter, and the Fever up 43-38, Clark smacked the stanchion of the basket to get her tech. It was puzzling at first. The Storm had turned over the ball. But Clark later explained it was out of frustration for missing beyond the arc the play prior.

Clark stood motionless, with her hands up.

“[The ref] told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball,” Clark said afterward. “I don’t know. It reminded me of the technical I got in college where I said damn it, where it’s like a personal frustration. Had nothing to do with the reffing, had nothing to do with the other team.”

“I thought we got a lot better after [the ref] did that,” Clark added. “So I want to thank him.

Clark also said that once Fever timeout arrived midway through the quarter, or two minutes after the tech, she and her teammates could finally catch their breaths. It hadn’t been an easygoing first half like Friday night versus the Phoenix Mercury. Clark missed all five of her shots from deep and had more turnovers than assists, though the two to Hull gave her 225 for the rookie record.

Even the third quarter was an absolute grind. Seattle is the fourth-best team in the WNBA and had won all three prior meetings with the Fever this season. Their length defensively is always an obstacle to deal with. After the timeout, the Fever and Storm traded shots until the buzzer. They traded blocks. Clark denied Sami Whitcomb and got swatted by Ezi Magbegor in return.

Lexie Hull has career game for Fever, banters with Clark

Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Indiana led by only one point going into the fourth. Then, the Hull outburst emerged. 3-pointer after 3-pointer, her yelling and showing the most emotion she ever has this season, and all the while putting her body on the line to take charges in the fourth quarter. The defensive mind and grit has always been there. But this — this was an anomaly. Hull shot 6-for-7 beyond the arc.

In Hull’s 78-game career, she’s made two or more 3-pointers just six times.

Six 3-pointers and 22 points were both career-highs Sunday. Hull stole the show.

“To get a win in front of my grandma, who came all the way from Spokane,” Hull began with.

“Shoutout Cheryl,” Clark interrupted.

“Yeah, go grandma Cheryl,” Hull tacked on, smiling. “And my sister came from Austin. It’s amazing. To have them courtside was super cool too. So really good. Really good feeling.”

Clark said she redownloaded the X app on her phone right after the game to post: “This is now a Lexie Hull fan account.” Clark proclaimed that her account will now solely center around Hull, should anyone want to follow.