Caitlin Clark downplays fracas with Angel Reese as rivalry reignites: ‘I went for the ball’

• Both players say clash was just part of basketball
• Fever and Sky met on opening weekend of WNBA

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese agreed on one thing Saturday: their dustup during the teams' WNBA season opener was just part of basketball.

Both stars downplayed the on-court fracas that occurred in the third quarter and which spurred Indiana to a 93-58 victory over the Chicago Sky. It started with Reese grabbing an offensive rebound and Clark slapping Reese's arm hard enough to jar the ball loose and knock Reese to floor.

When Reese got up, she tried to confront Clark before Indiana center Aliyah Boston stepped in to calm tempers down. Clark's third personal foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1 while Boston and Reese each drew technical fouls after a replay review by the referees.