‘It’s out of control’: Aces head to Indiana anticipating physical Game 3

Rough play often takes center stage when it comes to the Indiana Fever.

As the Aces head to Indianapolis for Game 3 of their semifinal series against the Fever on Friday, the pressure is higher than ever for the officials to get it right.

Coach Becky Hammon, after her team routed Indiana 90-68 in Game 2 on Tuesday to tie the best-of-five series 1-1, was asked why both games felt more intense than the final scores would indicate.

“The physicality is out of control; that’s for sure,” Hammon said. “There’s no freedom (of movement). And I’m not saying that we’re not fouling, too. I’m saying it’s out of control.”

Referees did call more fouls in Game 2, issuing 41 on Tuesday compared to the 27 they gave out in the Fever’s 89-73 victory in Game 1.

Indiana coach Stephanie White was unhappy with the change. The Aces took 21 free throws in Game 2, compared to 15 for the Fever.

“It’s hard for us to find flow when there’s a foul call every 10 seconds,” White said Tuesday. “When they’re at the free-throw line, we can’t get up and down the floor. And that’s the challenge. They were much more aggressive and physical defensively.”

Fever guard Odyssey Sims said before the series began that whichever team is more aggressive early often earns a more favorable whistle.

Indiana did that in Game 1, shooting 17 free throws to the Aces’ 12. Guard Jackie Young said her team did not match the Fever’s intensity and physicality.

But White noted Tuesday that Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell was like “a little pinball” with all the contact she took in Game 2. Mitchell scored 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting in the loss, after dominating with 34 points in Game 1.

Even ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson said during the TV broadcast of Game 2 that the officials needed to make changes.

“One thing that has to happen in this series is the officials need to clean up contact on the ball handler, and they’ve got to clean up some of these fouls on screens,” Robinson said in the final four minutes of Tuesday’s blowout. “There’s a lot of physicality and a lot happening on the court.”

Hostile territory

Hammon anticipated that physicality would be an issue after the Fever’s first-round series with the Atlanta Dream.

She said Indiana’s 87-85 win in a decisive Game 3 was a “football match” that featured hits she claimed would send a normal civilian to jail.

Hammon, when asked if the intensity could rise on the Fever’s home court, said she knew her team would keep its composure. But she also criticized the WNBA’s officiating.

“Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they’re like, ‘This level of physicality would not fly in the NBA. There would be fights,’ ” Hammon said. “We just have well-mannered women that can get to the next play. But there would be fights.”

One of the two fights in the WNBA this regular season took place on the Fever’s home court, during their 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 17. There were two scuffles, including a near-brawl in the final minute that led to three players being ejected.

Fever star Caitlin Clark, who has been ruled out for the playoffs with a groin injury, was issued a technical foul during that matchup.

Aces star A’ja Wilson believes her team is equipped to handle whatever Indiana does on its home court.

“Is it going to be loud? Yes. Is it going to be rowdy? Probably,” Wilson said. “But when it comes to us in our locker room, we’ve just got to keep the main thing, the main thing — and that’s continuing to be there for each other.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.