Fever, Caitlin Clark Question Free-Throw Disparity After Playoff Exit to Aces

The Indiana Fever's chaotic 2026 season came to an end Thursday with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces  in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the teams' first-round series.

The Fever lost because A'ja Wilson reminded everyone that she's the best player in the world, and Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 41 points on 13-of-41 shooting from the field. And, as Clark and coach Stephanie White noted during the postgame press conference, the Aces doubled them up from the free-throw line.

"I think some of it is we missed some shots that we typically make. I thought there was a level of physicality, we couldn't get to the rim," White said about the Game 3 result. "They turned it up a little bit... It's a game of the margins. They had 35 free throws, we had 20."

"Hmm, interesting," Clark added.

> The free throw disparity in the Aces-Fever was 35 to 20. Caitlin Clark: "Hm, interesting." pic.twitter.com/HF93UYD3E0 — USA Sports (@usasports) October 2, 2026

The Aces shot 28 of 35 from the line, doubling up the Fever in that department, who were 14 of 20. In fact, A'ja Wilson by herself (12 of 15) nearly shot as many free throws as the Fever. And in an 11-point game, the Aces' 14-point advantage went a long way toward their victory.

The Fever's frustration with the officials started almost immediately. Just three minutes into the game, Aces forward Brianna Turner , who played in Indiana last season, tried to eavesdrop on a Fever huddle so Clark pushed her away. After a review, the officials assessed a double technical to both players.

> Double technical just THREE minutes into Fever-Aces 😳 Caitlin Clark and Brianna Turner getting chippy 👀 #WNBAonUSA | Fever 🔥 | Aces ♠️ pic.twitter.com/Dv1hLNwjiS — USA Sports (@usasports) October 2, 2026

Early in the second quarter, Lexie Hull got tangled up with Turner, who appeared to hook Hull's arm and drag her to the ground. The foul was called on Hull, which incensed White and Co. The Fever eventually tried to challenge but were not allowed to do so because they took too long. To make matters worse, the Fever's bench was given a technical foul amid the chaos.

> Lexie Hull and Brianna Turner get tangled up as the second quarter begins #WNBAonUSA | Fever 🔥 | Aces ♠️ pic.twitter.com/yDbcPKBXBN — USA Sports (@usasports) October 2, 2026

Late in the fourth quarter, there was another controversial moment when Jewell Loyd caught Clark with an inadvertent elbow that went uncalled. A bloodied Clark briefly left the game, then made sure to show the official the damage when she came back on the court.

> Caitlin Clark comes out the locker room pleading with ref 🫣 https://t.co/r4Gy52820t pic.twitter.com/y7jTMuRVds — USA Sports (@usasports) October 2, 2026

For the series, the Aces shot 89 free throws, compared to 58 for the Fever. Wilson's 35 free throw attempts were more than Mitchell (22) and Clark (eight) shot combined. And while the Fever did take more 3-point attempts, they also doubled the Aces up in restricted area attempts. To have 40 more restricted area attempts and 31 fewer free throws in the series is understandably frustrating.

Team 3P FG RA FG FT

Aces

26-67 (38.8%)

26-40 (65%)

75-89 (84.3%)

Fever

29-84 (34.5%)

49-80 (61.3%)

44-58 (75.9%)

Every team that gets eliminated in the postseason has gripes about the officials, and there were certainly some moments that didn't go the Fever's way. But they ultimately lost because they couldn't make enough shots or get enough stops, not because they didn't get enough calls.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/caitlin-clark-fever-question-free-throw-disparity-vs-aces/)._