Sophie Cunningham fined for hard foul in Fever-Sun game, no suspension issued

The Indiana Fever secured a big win on Tuesday, June 18, defeating the Connecticut Sun 88-71 to advance to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title game. But the game turned chaotic, with physical plays and rising tensions taking center stage.

Midway through the third quarter, things began to heat up when Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon committed a flagrant 1 foul for poking Fever rookie Caitlin Clark in the eye. A scuffle followed the foul, leading to technical fouls for Clark, Marina Mabrey, and Tina Charles.

Later in the game, with just 46.1 seconds left on the clock, Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever fouled Sheldon hard on a breakaway layup. Cunningham grabbed Sheldon's hair and dragged her to the floor, causing a bench-clearing altercation.


Cunningham, Sheldon, and Sun forward Lindsay Allen were all ejected from the game for fighting. On Wednesday, after reviewing the play, the WNBA fined Cunningham for the flagrant two foul. However, she will not face suspension.

After the game, both coaches criticized the officiating. Fever coach Stephanie White said, “Everything’s getting better except the officials,” and questioned why Marina Mabrey wasn’t ejected for her shove during the third-quarter scuffle.

Despite the drama, Indiana is having a strong season. The team is now 6-5 and ranks third in the Eastern Conference, four games behind the New York Liberty.

The Fever now head into a challenging week on the road, with games against the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm.

Who is Sophie Cunningham?

Sophie Cunningham is a 6’1” guard for the Indiana Fever, drafted 13th overall by Phoenix in 2019. She was Missouri’s all-time leading scorer and has played over 180 WNBA games, averaging 7.7 points. Known for her aggressive play style, she was drafted in 2019 from the University of Missouri, where she was a standout scorer and leader for the Missouri Tigers.