It was one of the most anticipated matchups in sports in 2024.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, just 1-8 to start the season, played host to Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. The Sky were 3-3 heading into the June 1 matchup, and the history between the two polarizing was the main attraction.
Clark and Reese set the sports world ablaze in the 2023 NCAA Women's National Championship game, where Reese's LSU defeated Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85. In the final moments, Reese mocked Clark's "You Can't See Me" hand gesture before pointing to her ring finger to taunt the Iowa legend. Clark claims to have never seen the gesture, but made no further comments on the incident.
Fast forward to June 1, 2024: The hype for these two sharing the court was alive and well.
The game was a back-and-forth affair. There were five lead changes in the first half alone, mainly due to each team spreading the ball. Everyone got involved in every facet. Kelsey Mitchell scored seven points in the second quarter alone, heating up heading into halftime. She would finish with a team-high 18 points.
The most memorable moment came in the third quarter
Clark and Chicago's Chennedy Carter got tangled up on a rebound, leading to some contact. The next Chicago possession ended with a Carter jumper, which she hit. On her way by, Carter floored Clark with her shoulder-- a moment that would spark a league-wide discussion on Clark's treatment around the league.
Carter refused to answer questions after the game regarding the incident, but it was easy to determine that it was not a basketball play. Her foul would be upgraded to a flagrant one in the days that followed.
Later, in the fourth quarter, Reese and Clark got tangled up on a rebound attempt. Reese's arm seemed to swing around and knock Clark to the floor, after which Reese had some words for the Fever rookie on her way back down the court. No whistle, however.
Clark and the Fever never wavered, even after the Sky cut a nine-point Indiana lead to just one point with under two minutes to go. Aliyah Boston had her moment-- a post up on former South Carolina teammate Kamilla Cardoso that resulted in the hoop and the harm. Boston hit the free throw, and that would prove to be the dagger.
Indiana would go on to win the game 71-70 and kickstart a run that would send the Fever to the WNBA Playoffs.