Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the most high-profile player in the WNBA and the biggest star the league has seen in its existence, but that doesn’t mean everyone is fond of her. That certainly seems to be the case with Tiffany Hayes of the Golden State Valkyries.
Hayes spent a significant portion of Friday night’s game against the Fever guarding Clark and had a heated exchange with the Fever star on the court after Clark hit a deep three-pointer. After the game, Hayes accidentally revealed her true thoughts about Clark to a hot mic at the podium.
Let’s just say she was not a fan of the way that Clark was officiated in Friday’s game, as she seems to think she gets a bit of preferential treatment from the referees.
Clark vs. Hayes
Midway through the third quarter of Friday night’s game, Clark hit a deep three from the logo to tie the game at 48. Immediately after the shot found the bottom of the net, Clark approached Hayes and appeared to taunt her.
While it’s not clear exactly what Clark said to Hayes, Hayes did not seem to appreciate it, and she chirped right back. As Clark got back on defense, the Fever superstar gestured back and forth between Hayes and herself, indicating that she was directly challenging her for the rest of the game.
Clark led all scorers with 22 points and had nine assists in the game, leading the Fever to a 90-82 victory. Hayes, meanwhile, finished the game with 19 points, shooting 7 of 13 from the field and 2-for-2 from three-point range.
Hayes Was Not Happy
After the game, Hayes was understandably frustrated at the way the game played out, and she accidentally shared some rather candid words about Clark and the way the referees officiate her.
As she stepped up to the podium, Hayes was caught on a hot mic criticizing the officials for being too lenient with Clark.
“They’re never going to start calling the fouls on her,” Hayes said in comments picked up by a nearby hot mic. “If they did, she would never get to play the game.”
It’s worth noting that Clark herself was quite frustrated with the officiating as she picked up five fouls in the game, including a flagrant and a technical foul. Clark admitted that she risked the possibility of being ejected from the game for her antics in the second half, and made it pretty clear that she was not a fan of the officials calling the game on Friday night.
Clark and Hayes may not have a lot in common, but neither of them were too thrilled about the referees in Friday night’s game.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.