Caitlin Clark's coach advises her to move on from referee controversy, while she criticizes officials for pushing her to the brink of suspension.

Caitlin Clark was called for her sixth technical foul of the year before breaking the WNBA's single-season assist record Friday night.

In the early stages of the game, Tiffany Hayes of Las Vegas was knocked to the ground by her defender, resulting in a technical foul when Clark slammed her hands on a basket support.

Clark is one technical foul away from a suspension, with six on the year. He is tied for second in the league in technical fouls with Taurasi and Copper, who have also been suspended for a game this season. Cloud leads the league with seven technical fouls and has already been suspended once.

The Fever have two remaining games, against the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics. If refs issue a technical foul on Clark during either game, she will be suspended for one game. However, a technical won't prevent her from playing in the postseason because the WNBA's technical foul counter resets for players once the playoffs begin. If she receives a technical in either of the last two games, she may have to serve that suspension in the first game of the next season.

In a postgame press conference, Clark accused the referees of making a mistake by calling the foul on her during her record-breaking performance. Despite her attempts to appeal past technical fouls, the league has not granted her any exceptions.

"Clark stated, "They'll never overturn that rule." He added, "It's just one of the game's rules, so it's in the rule book. That's why I tried to get my last one removed. They just don't take it away.""

This year, Clark questioned the accuracy of technical fouls called against her by WNBA referees, particularly the most recent one against the Minnesota Lynx on Sept. 6 and another where she was accused of slapping the basket support.

"I feel like half of my technicals this year were due to inadvertent contact to the face in the Minnesota game and hitting the stanchion of the basket. One was a complete accident, and the other two were just a little frustration with myself. I think I could have done a better job keeping my emotions in check, but at the same time, like, … really?"

Christie Sides did not question the refs in her press conference, but instead held Clark accountable for the technicals.

We must ensure that external factors do not affect us, especially early in the game, she emphasized. We must handle those things, even though they may not be perfect. We are not perfect either, but the frustration we experienced has cost us time. Therefore, we are discussing this and working to prevent a first quarter lapse like that.

"Let's not let that impact us so greatly. The officials are the officials."

On a night when she set the WNBA's single-season record for assists, Clark faced an officiating decision that went against her. Despite this, she continued to perform well and finished the game with a double-digit number of assists.

Because Clark did not meet the full criteria for earning an assist, officials reduced the number of assists to nine following the game.

"Clark's double-double being taken away on her big night was just what she needed to move on to the next play," Sides said, highlighting Clark's passion and competitiveness.

Not only has Clark been frustrated by the recent fouls called on her, but she also took issue with a hit that knocked her to the floor in a game that was not called a foul, resulting in the Fever's 99-88 loss to Minnesota on Sept. 6.

Napheesa Collier of Minnesota knocked Clark to the floor while attempting to score in the paint.

Collier was not called for a foul by the officials, and she lay on the floor with her arms extended.

During the game, Clark was hit by opposing players on multiple occasions, but the refs did not blow the whistle.

"During the second half, I believed I was fouled on a few mid-range jump shots. It's common for this to happen. Sometimes you receive a call, and other times you don't. That's just how it goes. I felt like I relied too heavily on mid-range jump shots, but I thought I was bumped a bit, and I was attempting to shot-fake them to get them to foul me," Clark stated.

"Perhaps, I could have controlled my emotions better."

Since joining the WNBA, Clark has had to control her emotions rapidly. In her most recent game against the Chicago Sky, Diamond DeShields accidentally knocked Clark to the ground with a foul that was later changed to a flagrant foul.

On June 1, Clark performed an illegal hip check on Chicago Sky forward Carter, which was widely condemned. After the game, Clark stated that the hit was not a basketball play. On June 16, Sky rookie Reese accidentally struck Clark in the head with her arm while attempting to block a pass during a game.

The issue of hits against Clark during her rookie year has become so significant that former NBA player Joakim Noah recommended the Fever sign an "enforcer" to safeguard her.

"If I were the owner of the Indiana Fever, I would acquire a real enforcer to safeguard her, as stated by Noah to Planet Chronicle Digital. Despite feeling that she is being attacked because of her exceptional talent, Noah emphasized that their primary objective is to win games. As such, if I were the owner, I would bring in a real enforcer to protect her."

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