Angel Reese Speaks Out After Flagrant Foul Against Caitlin Clark: ‘I Can’t Control The Refs’

“They affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight,” Reese said

Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. PHOTO: MELISSA TAMEZ/ ICON SPORTSWIRE, ANDY LYONS/GETTY

Angel Reese is addressing her flagrant foul against Caitlin Clark that had social media talking after their June 16 matchup.

After Reese was charged with a flagrant foul for hitting Clark in the head with her arm while attempting to take away the ball, she spoke out against the call during her postgame presser, calling it a “basketball play.”

“I can’t control the refs. They affected the game, obviously, a lot tonight,” according to Yahoo! Sports. “I’m always going for the ball. But y’all are going to play that clip, what, 20 times before Monday?”

Reese then questioned the lack of calls for the Fever, who went on to win 91-83. “I think we went up strong a lot of times and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” she said. “Going back and looking at the film, I saw a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle.”

After helping her team secure the win, Clark was asked how she felt about the flagrant foul call against Reese. The WNBA rookie said she chalked it up to a regular occurrence on the court. “It’s just a part of basketball. It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens,” she said according to the Bleacher Report.

The former college rivals have fans eagerly awaiting each one of their WNBA matchups, and Clark said that the competition is what brings out the passion in the two rookies — which means sometimes things might get a bit physical.

Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky shoots a free throw during the game against the Indiana Fever on June 16, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana

Angel Reese.RON HOSKINS/NBAE VIA GETTY

“That’s what makes it fun,” Clark said per the Bleacher Report. “We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s going to get a little feisty, it’s going to get physical, but at the end of the day both teams are just trying to win.”

In February in her cover interview with Women’s Health, Reese explained that although she and Clark have rivalry on the court, the two can still be cool outside of basketball.

“I love that we’re able to compete and still be cool after, regardless of the outside noise,” the LSU star, 21, told the magazine. Reese added, “People even say Magic [Johnson] and Larry Bird, that era [of basketball] and how it was. If that’s who we are, then okay, cool. … I think we’re both happy about what’s going on.”