LAS VEGAS: Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark returned after a mouth injury on Thursday, but the Las Vegas Aces won 94-83 to eliminate her team from the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) playoffs.
Aces centre A’ja Wilson led the victory with 36 points and 10 rebounds. She made 11 of her 18 field-goal attempts as Las Vegas secured a semifinal place.
Clark took an accidental elbow from Jewell Loyd while contesting a rebound in the fourth quarter. She fell to the floor and stayed down briefly before heading into the tunnel for assessment. Officials did not call a foul.
Fever head coach Stephanie White protested the decision. Clark showed an official the blood coming from her mouth and argued that the contact warranted a foul.
Caitlin Clark caught an elbow to the face and was bleeding from the mouth, but no foul was called 😳 pic.twitter.com/fhTCaNSCRI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 2, 2026Officials paused play because she still had blood on her hands. Clark remained in the game until the finish.
Indiana tried to rally in the deciding Game 3 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The defeat ended the Fever’s first-round series and their season.
Clark finished with 18 points on six-of-18 shooting. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 23 points, while Aliyah Boston added 19.
Read: Caitlin Clark Leads Fever Past Sun 111-91 With 34 Points
Las Vegas next faces the winner of the Dallas Wings-Golden State Valkyries series. Those teams play their decider on Friday with the series tied 1-1.
(With input from Sports Illustrated)
