ejected

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected from her side’s WNBA defeat by Indiana Fever for committing a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham, and subsequently posted “white privilege” on social media.

Carrington caught Cunningham across the left side of the head with her arm as the Indiana Fever guard attempted a right-handed layup late in the opening quarter in Chicago.

Cunningham hit the ground hard but immediately got up to confront Carrington before team-mates separated them.

The foul was upgraded to a flagrant two foul after review and Carrington was automatically ejected from the match after scoring eight points in four minutes from the bench.

Shortly after leaving the game, Carrington wrote “WHITE PRIVILIGE” on social media platform Threads, tagging Indiana Fever in the post.

Asked about the post after her team won 90-86, Cunningham said: “I think the league is taking care of that.

“This has nothing to do with race. Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out, and I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason even to play that card.”

When told of the post, Sky coach Tyler Marsh added: “I have to get back to you on that because I’m just now hearing about that. So yeah, we’ll handle that.”

Speaking about the foul, Cunningham added: “Clearly, I think it was unnecessary.

“I’ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has some pent-up stuff. So, get your [stuff] off. That’s fine – I can take it.”

Fever coach Stephanie White said: “It was a hard foul. I don’t think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I thought it was the right call.”

Referee Maj Forsberg said Cunningham was not penalised for her reaction because “we deemed her reaction to the severity of the contact to be acceptable”.

Cunningham has become the subject of controversy in recent weeks for her comments on transgender athletes participating in women’s sport.

It has led to people showing up inside and outside of Fever games, some to protest against Cunningham and others to express support.

Meanwhile, Fever star Caitlin Clark will avoid a one-match suspension after a technical foul called on her during the third quarter was rescinded after the match.

The technical foul – called when Clark ran into an official after making a pass having been bumped by a defender – would have been her eighth of the season, which triggers an automatic suspension.

Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison was tossed from Sunday’s game after committing a hard foul against the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese.

Reese had established position in the paint nearly four minutes into the third quarter when she was passed the ball. Harrison reached over and tackled her to the floor. Reese’s teammates immediately jumped in to separate the two players.

The takedown occurred with around 6:05 left in the third quarter, while the Dream were leading 52-42. Officials reviewed the play and Harrison was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for contact that was deemed “unnecessary and excessive” and ejected from the game.

Harrison, who was drafted in 2015, was the leading scorer for the Tempo with 17 points at the time she was tossed. Reese ended the game with 15 points and 17 rebounds in Atlanta’s 102-77 victory. It marks the ninth double-double of the season for the two-time All Star.

WNBA officials have been cracking down on physical play this season after complaints about the level of physicality last year.

Things appeared to get heated between the two former teammates, who crossed paths during Reese’s rookie season with the Chicago Sky, starting in the first half of Sunday’s game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The players could be seen exchanging words throughout their match-up and, at one point during the second quarter, Harrison swatted at the ball being held by Reese after play had already been stopped.

After the game, Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said Harrison’s ejection was “unfortunate” because Harrison was “playing so well.” When asked about what she was hoping to see from her team in their next stretch of games, Brondello mentioned consistency and her players “not getting too high [or] too low.”

“I think sometimes the emotions get the best of us and takes away from how we want to play,” Brondella said.

Dream guard Allisha Gray, who led all scorers with 26 points, praised her teammate after the game.

“Angel’s a beast on the boards,” Gray said. “She does everything that we need to help us win and accomplish our goals for the game. So, I think Angel did really well tonight, keeping her composure and really battling on the boards.”

The Dream (9-4) is currently fourth in league standings, while the Tempo (7-7) sit in ninth place.