Caitlin Clark isn’t adding any fuel to the fire.
Clark had a poor shooting performance after she was poked in the eye by Sun guard DiJonai Carrington during the first game of their best-of-three playoff series on Sunday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Clark was asked if she believed the eye-poke was intentional, as a number of observers have suggested when the video was played in slow motion and appeared to show an unnatural gesture on Carrington’s part.
“It wasn’t intentional by any means,” Clark said, laughing.
“You just watched the play. It wasn’t intentional.”
Even if she believes it was intentional on Carrington’s part, Clark never would have given anyone the satisfaction of admitting it out loud.
She has repeatedly declined to blame any of her opponents for hard fouls they have levied on her in her rookie season.
Carrington, who has mocked Clark for flopping and previously been critical of the Fever guard on social media this season over Clark’s reticence to weigh in on social issues, was asked on Tuesday if she intentionally poked Clark in the eye.
“I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn’t even make sense to me,” Carrington said.
“I didn’t even know I hit her in the eye. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and I hit her. So obviously it’s never intentional. It’s not even like the type of player that I am.”
Carrington is dating NaLyssa Smith, Clark’s teammate on the Fever.
Game 2 of the series is Wednesday night in Uncasville, with a potential Game 3 Friday in Indianapolis.