CHICAGO (AP) — Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham called it just another game. Chicago Sky coach Tyler Marsh felt the same way.
Indiana played Chicago on Sunday night for the first time since Cunningham was taken down by DiJonai Carrington on a hard foul on a fast break earlier this month. Carrington was listed as questionable with a left foot injury, but she was cleared after going through warmups.
The Fever were closing out a five-game trip with
their third game in four nights. They had dropped two in a row.
“My mindset has never changed. I think it is what it is,” Cunningham said. “I’m locked in on tonight. ... I think we’re just out here trying to get the win.”
Cunningham and Carrington both checked in for the first time with 3:04 left in the first quarter. There were no major issues in the first half. Cunningham had three points in six minutes at the break, and Carrington had four points on 2-for-7 shooting in more than 11 minutes.
Marsh said he didn't have any conversations with his players before the game about the charged atmosphere for their previous matchup.
“That kind of was what it was last game and anything that came out of it kind of lasted for that time,” Marsh said. “But for us, again, it was on to the next one in front of us.”
Cunningham was going up for a layup in the first quarter of Indiana's 90-86 win on Aug. 8 when Carrington came from behind and hit her in the head and neck, knocking her to the court as the shot went in. Cunningham got up, charged Carrington and pushed her as she was held back by a teammate.
The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the referee said there was windup, impact and follow-through on the foul, resulting in Carrington's ejection.
Shortly after she was thrown out, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media and tagged the Fever. Carrington is Black and Cunningham is white.
Days later, Carrington posted that she never claimed the assessment of the Flagrant 2 was the result of white privilege, but she didn't elaborate any further.
“I (couldn't) care less about what she does, what she tweets, any of that,” Cunningham said before Sunday's game. "I’m here to play basketball.
“There's going to be people who are going to talk about it ... but to me, it’s just another basketball game.”
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