In the Indiana Fever vs. Portland Fire matchup, it initially looked like the Fever might have things under control. But that phase didn’t last long. Portland started finding the rhythm and suddenly it was 29-15 after the first quarter. From there Indiana Fever were simply playing catch-up the entire time, and you could actually see the frustration building.
That tension finally showed up in the second half when Sophie Cunningham and Emily Engstler got into a heated exchange after an offensive foul. It didn’t really cool off either. Things boiled over again late in the fourth quarter when a hard play brought them face-to-face, and officials had to step in quickly before it turned into something bigger.
“I don’t think you want to know what was said. Putting it in words, I can say… no one scares me, and she sure doesn’t,” Engstler said afterward, via Sean Highkin on X. “It’s basketball at the end of the day, but I won’t let anybody talk to me a certain way. Or hit me.”…