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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The WNBA has stepped in after an aggressive play by the Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas against Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night.
During the matchup's second quarter, Clark fell onto the court after bumping with defender Lexi Held. As Held, Thomas, and DeWanna Bonner went after the ball, Clark passed from the floor across to a teammate as Bonner and Thomas were on top of her.
While getting up, Thomas appeared to push her fist into Clark's throat, and as she got up, she stepped over Clark, who was still down on the court.
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According to the WNBA's statement on Thursday, they officially assessed Thomas with a Flagrant 2 foul for the incident and suspended the Mercury star for one game due to "recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area of Caitlin Clark."
Read more: WNBA Faces Backlash Over Caitlin Clark 30th Anniversary Poster Snub
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The league revealed that Thomas will serve her suspension for the Mercury's upcoming game at the Toronto Tempo, on Saturday, June 27.
In the aforementioned game, which the Mercury won 111-109 at Indiana, Clark exited with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter due to back issues. Her head coach, Stephanie White, called out "two cheap shots" from the game and told reporters that she felt something needed to be done about the officiating.
"Number one, you've got to call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful," White said postgame, adding that when she mentioned Thomas' uncalled foul on Clark to the officials, they indicated they hadn't seen what occurred in that instance.
There had been a lot of backlash from Clark's fans, but also from analysts, after the recent play. Dan Patrick was also among those questioning the officiating for and against Clark. One of his guests on "The Dan Patrick Show," former WNBA player Stacey Dales, suggested WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert could set a precedent after this recent incident involving Thomas toward Clark.
Dales also suggested that officials might not like Clark constantly throwing her hands up or questioning all of their calls for or against her during games.
Earlier this week, Clark received her fifth technical foul of the season, coming against the Mercury for clapping towards their players, which she later called out after the game. An eighth technical against Clark results in a one-game suspension for the Indiana Fever star.
Aside from Clark's techs, the league has now sent a message in favor of their most popular star, which may have put WNBA players and teams on notice about how they play against Clark.
More news: Paige Bueckers Gets Honest About WNBA Officiating After Caitlin Clark Tech
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