The Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun just haven’t been the right match this year. From Caitlin Clark’s altercation with Jacy Sheldon and Sophie Cunningham’s ejection to the reigning ROY exiting in tears due to an injury — fans say they are better kept apart. And their 4th and final meeting of the regular season only confirmed the fears. This time, it was Cunningham who left the court in tears, and the news around her might just turn out to be as worrying as Clark’s.

Early in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, with about 8 minutes left, disaster struck. Bria Hartley, while trying to make a pass, fell awkwardly on Sophie Cunningham’s right knee. Sophie went down in visible pain and had to be helped off the court by the support staff. For the Fever, it was yet another blow in a season full of setbacks, and head coach Stephanie White had echoed the sentiment of thousands.

“Especially the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in, at the time it’s like, ‘crap,'” she had expressed. Though the HC immediately stirred her mind towards problem-solving, reality is inescapable. A few hours after the game, Scott Agnes reported that Cunningham is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, meaning the injury isn’t easily dismissive.

This might come as a huge blow to the Fever, who have been waiting 13 games for Caitlin Clark’s return. With Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson already ruled out for the season, they’re now left sweating over Cunningham’s injury update. This time, though, officiating is facing a bit of heat.

The day wasn’t turning out to be in Cunningham’s favor from the get-go. On just the second possession, she was hit with a technical foul after losing control of her dribble while being pressured full-court by Leila Lacan. Both players ‘scrambled’ for the ball, which led to a jump ball. But after review, officials ruled that Cunningham had shoved Lacan unnecessarily.

And then there’s Bria Hartley. We all remember what happened against the Sky. She was ejected after getting into a scuffle with Rebecca Allen. But that wasn’t even the Sun guard’s first ejection of the season. She had faced similar fate earlier against the Sparks. So Cunningham’s mom and sister did not shy away from speaking up against the player and the officiating.

“@WNBA, maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more on hiring officials who can call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you @sophaller🙏🏼❤️,” her sister wrote, while Paula Cunningham went straight to throw shade at Hartley.

It further doesn’t help that the Fever guard has been consistent in calling out the refs, even if it meant being fined twice. After her TikTok and first podcast rant, where she said, “I’m not saying your job is easy, but when it’s a simple call right in front of your face multiple times, what are you doing? … They’re just so inconsistent,” Cunningham had once again pointed out favorism against Paige Bueckers. Indrect and unrelated, it may be, but the fingers are pointed in one direction.

For now, though, it’s still unclear when Cunningham will return, but the Fever managed to pull out the win even without her on the floor.

Sophie Cunningham’s absence sparks yet another resilient showcase

No Caitlin Clark? No Sophie Cunningham? No Aari McDonald? No problem! The Fever still took down the Connecticut Sun, even after trailing by 21 at one point. It was a comeback to remember. New signing Odyssey Sims finally had her outing of proof, finishing with 19 points and 7 assists in her first game as a starter.

But the real star of the night was Kelsey Mitchell, who’s quietly been building her MVP case all season. She exploded for a career-high 38 points, with 34 of them coming in the second half. Her heroics powered the Fever to a 99-93 overtime win over the Sun, pushing their record to 19-16.

While the win is a massive boost, Sophie’s MRI results on Monday is still an anxious wait. The fall did not look good, but as Coach White noted, “it turns to problem solving, right? How do we put ourselves in a position to win?” Caitlin Clark hasn’t been ruled out for the season yet and White believes in the resilience of this team. So no counting them out just yet.