Caitlin Clark BODYCHECKED by Chennedy Carter - who appears to yell 'you b***h' before lashing out - and escapes with just a personal foul as Indiana Fever play Chicago Sky

Caitlin Clark was inexplicably bodychecked to the ground by Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter near the end of the third quarter of Indiana Fever's latest WNBA game on Saturday.

Carter shoved Clark to the ground as she stood waiting for the inbound, and the Chicago player remarkably escaped with just a personal foul. 

Television replays appear to show Carter yelling 'you b***h' at Clark before shoving her to the ground. It wasn't immediately clear how Clark had provoked Carter, if at all, but the Fever star was not anticipating any impact. Carter refused to explain her actions in the post-game press conference.

Clark ended up having the last laugh - her team holding on for a one-point win and the 71-70 triumph was the team's first home win of the season.

There were 15 seconds left on the clock in the third quarter and when time was up, Clark gave her reaction to ESPN immediately after.

'That's just not a basketball play but I've got to play through it, that's what basketball is about at this level,' she said. 

Afterwards, Carter refused to speak about the incident or what prompted her to hit out at her opponent.

When asked by a reporter in the post-game press conference, she said: 'I ain't answering no Caitlin Clark questions.

'I don't know what she said. I didn't say anything.' 

But the incident provoked shock on social media - USWNT soccer legend Carli Lloyd slammed Carter, calling her jealous.

Replying to Taylor Twellman, another ex- USA soccer player, who shared the video with the caption: 'Why?! I don't get it', Lloyd wrote: 'What you call living rent free. Jealousy at its finest.'

Ahead of the game Clark, the No 1 pick in this year's WNBA Draft, said players were repeatedly getting away with fouls against her. 

While the wider claims by Clark have been debated, Carter did appear lucky to escape without a more severe punishment. 

Clark, meanwhile, speaking midweek after her 30-point game in the loss to Los Angeles Sparks, said: 'I think everybody's physical with me. 

'They get away with things that, probably, other people don't get away with. It's tough.'

Saturday's game was the first time Clark came up against her college rival Angel Reese, who was the seventh pick in the WNBA Draft and taken by Chicago.