As in several games this season, the Indiana Fever’s 84-80 victory over the Connecticut Sun was not without its struggles.

In one of the game’s most compelling highlights, Caitlin Clark beat Suns forward Dijonai Carrington to the rim for a smooth layup right after Carrington appeared to quiet the home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark and Carrington had a few other tense moments on the court, including a minor skirmish as the two stars fought over a loose ball.

After the Fever’s win, Clark, who had 19 points and five assists, elaborated on the physical nature of the game.

“I would say it’s one of the most physical games I’ve played in so far, but you know that’s what you’re going to get from the moment you go into this game,” Clark said in the post-game press conference. “That’s just the way they are, they’re a physical team.”

“They set a lot of screens — they do a really good job of setting and using screens, they really do,” Clark continued. “But I thought we handled screens well, especially when we needed them late in the fourth quarter. We transitioned well, contested shots, got rebounds … Getting stops at the end was the only reason we won.”

During the third quarter, Clark also collided with another Sun player, with the rookie guard going down on the floor after forward Alyssa Thomas set a hard screenThomas was given a foul and Clark walked away with it. There didn’t seem to be anything malicious going on.

Clark and her Fever teammates could only smile after the hard-fought victory. They had won four of their last five games outside the Olympic period and moved one step closer to their first playoff appearance since 2016.

The Fever (15-16) must quickly prepare for another tough battle, as they face Angel Reese and Chicago Sky on Friday.