Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark suffered an apparent ankle injury on Thursday night after a flagrant foul in her second preseason game against the Dallas Wings.
Clark was returning from a groin injury that sidelined her for the final 22 regular-season games and the team’s entire playoff run last year. She had opened the contest strongly, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and 19 by halftime while adding assists and a steal.
With 7:51 left in the third quarter, Clark rose for a three-point attempt and landed awkwardly when Wings forward Alanna Smith extended her foot into the landing zone. Officials reviewed the contact and assessed Smith a flagrant-1 foul.
Clark immediately began limping but remained on the floor long enough to shoot her free throws before heading to the bench for medical evaluation. She did not return for the rest of the game.
Fever personnel checked her on the sideline, though the team has not yet released an official update on her status. However, Clark has downplayed the injury.
“I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” she said, via ESPN. “I know there’s a committee of people that really wanted them [the refs] to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it’s preseason, so you’re probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”
Clark has frequently drawn physical defense and hard fouls throughout her professional career.
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