Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark came up bloodied after taking an elbow to the face during the WNBA playoff game against the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, Oct 1.
Clark was inadvertently struck by the Aces’ Jewell Loyd during the fourth quarter while going up for a rebound.
Clark went down and stayed down on the floor before finally getting up and going into the tunnel for treatment.
While it looked like Clark might miss some time, she quickly returned to the game and finished it out.
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Here’s a look at the play, shared by USA Sports on X. Fever head coach Stephanie White was visibly frustrated no foul was called.
Caitlin Clark leaves the floor after catching an elbow to the face on a rebound attempt 😬 pic.twitter.com/8Nc8L4v6oe
— USA Sports (@usasports) October 2, 2026
Clark was understandably upset that she didn’t get a foul call after the play.
Upon returning to the floor, she made sure to show an official the blood coming out of her mouth, per CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani on X.
Caitlin Clark lol pic.twitter.com/Gdm5n2fqqx
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) October 2, 2026
The game had to be stopped after Clark re-entered because she still had blood on her hands.
The play came at a pivotal time when the Fever were trying to mount a comeback and keep themselves alive in the playoffs during what was a decisive Game 3 against the Aces.
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Aces eliminate Fever
The Fever ultimately couldn’t finish off their comeback against Las Vegas. The Aces knocked off the Fever with a 94-83 win.
The Aces received a legendary performance from center A’ja Wilson. She dropped 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting and added 10 rebounds.
Clark got off to a strong start, but the Iowa product struggled late, tallying 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
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Kelsey Mitchell led the way for Indiana with 23 points, and Aliyah Boston chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Now, it’ll be back to the drawing board for the Fever, while the Aces await the winner of the Dallas Wings-Golden State Valkyries series, which is tied 1-1 and will be decided Friday.
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