7 hours ago
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Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey should have been ejected for shoving Caitlin Clark to the ground in their loss to the Indiana Fever, the WNBA has ruled.
Clark was at the center of a shocking bust-up on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where she was jabbed in the eye by Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon before being pushed over by Mabrey.
When the Indiana superstar reacted angrily to being struck by Sheldon, the latter's teammate raced over and slammed her to the floor in a violent moment which sparked outrage online.
Somehow she avoided an ejection from the game despite the shove being unprovoked, much to the dismay of WNBA fans.
However, less than 24 hours later the league admitted referees were wrong to issue a technical foul to Mabrey.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou has revealed that her technical has been upgraded to a flagrant 2, which would have brought an ejection had it been dished out on the night.
Marina Mabrey should have been ejected for her shove on Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has ruled
Marina Mabrey's technical from last night's Fever-Sun game has been upgraded to a flagrant 2, the league told ESPN. A flagrant 2 comes from a standard fine.
Additionally, Sophie Cunningham was fined separately for her hard foul with 46 secs to play
No players will be suspended
Clark's teammate and enforcer Sophie Cunningham was also fined separately for her foul with 46 seconds remaining in the game.
As Sheldon came away with a steal in the final minute, Cunningham committed a blatant and hard foul of her own - wrapping her arms around the Sun guard's head and pulling her to the ground in an act of revenge after her foul on Clark.
Another larger scuffle then ensued, with Connecticut's Lindsay Allen running over to defend her teammate and Sheldon popping straight up to shove the Fever player.
Tensions took a while to die down and at the end of it, Cunningham, Sheldon, and Allen were all ejected.
After she seemingly took the mantle as Caitlin's personal security guard, Fever fans heaped praise on Sophie for protecting their star player.
'Finally a teammate got Caitlin Clark’s back after the assault she’s taken tonight. Sophie Cunningham you are a G,' wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter.
LA Rams pass rusher Jared Verse tweeted the video, saying, 'THIS STANDING ON BUSINESS!!!!'
Another fan posted, 'Sophie Cunningham is the hero the WNBA needs.'
Clark's enforcer Sophie Cunningham (second from left) also got involved in the melee
Cunningham was heavily praised for leaping to the defense of her teammate on Tuesday
Others remarked about the poor job from the officials, with one fan saying, 'WNBA refs have completely lost control in Fever/Sun game.'
Cunningham also received some pushback for the brutality of her foul.
'I understand wanting to defend your teammate but THAT was some bush league and dirty work from Sophie Cunningham. Could’ve done some serious damage to Jacy Sheldon’s neck on the play. SC has a reputation for crossing the line,' said WNBA sportscaster Chris Williamson.
NBC Sports' Natalie Esquire posted, 'No place in the game for what Sophie Cunningham did. That warrants further review and penalty from the league.'
