Caitlin Clark, DiJonai Carrington shut down idea that Game 1 eye poke was intentional: ‘Just watch the play’

Both Caitlin Clark and DiJonai Carrington shut down the idea that the poke that left Clark with a black eye in their Game 1 playoff matchup was intentional.

Carrington poked the Indiana Fever star in the eye in the first quarter of the Connecticut Sun’s 93-69 win in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series on Sunday. Though Clark finished the game without any issue, it left her with a bit of a black eye.

Like plenty of other times when Clark has been fouled this season, it prompted plenty of conversation on social media in recent days. Even though it was very clearly a basketball play that wasn’t intentional, Carrington was asked whether she poked Clark on purpose Tuesday ahead of their Game 2 matchup Wednesday night.

“I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye,” Carrington said. “That doesn’t even make sense to me. But no, I didn’t. I didn’t know I hit her, actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and I hit her.

“Obviously it’s never intentional. That’s not even like the type of player that I am.”

I asked DiJonai Carrington about that moment early in Sunday’s Indiana-Connecticut game when she caught Caitlin Clark in the eye. Here’s her answer: pic.twitter.com/DnQVYi0r6J

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) September 24, 2024

Clark echoed Carrington’s comments.

“It wasn’t intentional by any means,” she said. “Just watch the play.”

The Sun cruised to a dominant 24-point win in Sunday’s matchup at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut behind a triple-double from Alyssa Thomas. Clark, who is expected to win Rookie of the Year honors this season and came in fourth in the league’s MVP voting, was held to 11 points and shot 4-of-17 from the field. The game was the Fever’s first playoff game since 2016.

The Fever have to win Wednesday night to extend the three-game series.

“We know we’re capable of beating this team. We have done it,” Clark said, via ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “Obviously, they’re really, really good and we know it’ll be a challenge, but I don’t think it’s anything we’re shying away from. I think you just embrace the challenge.

“We know we didn’t have our best [Sunday] and maybe the final score really seems like we did get blown out, but we had it to six points. We had it to eight points. It was just we could never really get over the hump.”