WNBA fight sees three players tossed in wild Sky-Sun showdown

Rodney Knuppel

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WNBA fight sees three players tossed in wild Sky-Sun showdown image

A tense Wednesday night in the WNBA turned chaotic when a dust-up in the first half of the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun game left three players walking to the locker room early.

What began as a routine foul suddenly became the night’s biggest storyline.

The drama ignited when Connecticut’s Bria Hartley committed a hard foul that sent Chicago’s Rebecca Allen to the court. In the scramble, Allen clutched Hartley’s jersey, setting off an exchange of shouts.

Before the officials could intervene, Chicago guard Ariel Atkins charged into the fray to stand up for Allen, sparking a scene that had players, referees and coaches scrambling to restore order.

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After reviewing the footage, the officiating crew hit all three with technical fouls and sent them to the showers. Chicago, now down to eight available players, struggled to recover as Connecticut used the disruption to fuel a 13-5 scoring burst, taking a 44-28 advantage into halftime.

"We have a loose ball foul on Rebecca Allen, and then her and Bria Hartley get into an altercation that is deemed a fight. They're both ejected from the game," official Kevin Fahy said on the broadcast. "Ariel Atkins also comes in as an instigator, and she has been ejected from the game."

The league will decide whether further punishment, likely fines, is coming for those involved. For the Sky, the timing is brutal as they fight to avoid another loss in what has already been a rough stretch.

Chicago will next home the Golden State Valkyries on Friday and then stay home for a meeting against the Seattle Storm on August 21. Connecticut takes on Indiana Sunday and then heads to Washington to play the Mystics in the first of back-to-back meetings.

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Rodney Knuppel

Rodney Knuppel is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. When not watching, listening or writing about sports, Rodney enjoys following the travels of his three kids, who are all active in their own sports and activities. A huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, Rodney also enjoys St. Louis Blues hockey and is a big Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan.