Aliyah Boston’s importance against the Las Vegas Aces cannot be overstated. She is one of the few players who have shown to contain A’ja Wilson in the past. She did so in Fever’s semifinal series last year, and they only lost after Boston fouled out. So, her physicality was going to be pivotal for the Fever in Sunday’s game against the Aces. However, Boston was left perplexed when the officials whistled against her.
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Boston received the ball from Lexie Hull in the paint. Former teammate NaLyssa Smith was guarding her, but Boston shrugged her off and laid it in. However, Smith went down holding her face. Boston was called for an offensive foul, and although the Fever forward immediately protested, they reviewed it for a potential flagrant foul.
“Now Aliyah Boston is unhappy with the refs after she gets called with an offensive foul. On replay, she looked to elbow NaLyssa Smith in the face while getting a pass from Lexie Hull. Refs are now reviewing for a potential upgrade,” posted IndyStarSports‘ Chloe Peterson. “Foul stands as a common foul,” she added.
Similar to Alyssa Thomas’ elbow to Lexie Hull in their Mercury matchup, which was also reviewed.
Much like Alyssa Thomas’ elbow to Lexie Hull during their last match against the Phoenix Mercury on July 10, Boston attempted to receive the ball as her former teammate tried to intercept. While Hull was called for a foul for interrupting Thomas’s shooting motion, this time Boston got the foul, but neither incident was intentional.
Even if Boston did not agree, it was a better result than conceding a flagrant foul. She already had to pay $500 for her first flagrant against Kahleah Copper when she elbowed her in the face. She has the reputation for being a physical paint player with multiple such fouls in the past.
Regardless, this game came with more officiating controversy moments before this play. Caitlin Clark’s foul on Chelsea Gray was reviewed. The Fever guard protested that it was the wrong whistle but to no avail.
Ultimately, it did not matter as the Indiana Fever dominated the Las Vegas Aces 109-75. Boston had her 7th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Sophie Cunningham had her season high with 20 points, with 6 three-pointers.
Kelsey Mitchell maintained her form with 27 points and 3 assists while Clark added 12 points and 6 assists in her 24 minutes. Apart from the two incidents, the Fever conceded only 20 free throws, below their season-wide average of 24.8 per game. They also conceded the second-lowest number of fouls, with just 17.
While the reviews involving Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark briefly caused frustration, neither significantly altered the course of the game. Indiana’s balanced offensive performance and defensive intensity ultimately overshadowed the officiating debate in a comfortable victory over Las Vegas.