The WNBA rivalry between second-year stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has taken a physical turn.

Tempers flared after Clark committed a hard foul on Reese in the Fever’s 93-58 win over the Sky on Saturday.

After Reese grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss by teammate Rebecca Allen in the third quarter, Clark shoved her to the floor under the basket, preventing Reese from getting off a shot.

Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky takes a hard foul from Caitlin Clark on Saturday. Getty Images

Reese got up and tried to get at Clark as the latter walked away, and they had to be separated by other players from both teams.

Clark was called for a flagrant 1 after review, and both players were issued technicals.

Reese hit 1-of-2 from the line after things settled down.

“Let’s not make it something that it’s not,” Clark said after the game. “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am.”

Reese didn’t make it an issue in her postgame press conference.

“Basketball play, refs got it right, move on,” Reese said. 

Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky takes a hard foul from Caitlin Clark. Getty Images

Crew chief Roy Gulbeyan explained to the pool reporter why the officials deemed the foul a flagrant 1.

“The foul on Clark met the criteria for Flagrant Foul 1, for wind up, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play, and therefore deemed unnecessary contact,” Gulbeyan said. “After the foul, there is a physical taunt technical on Boston and a verbal technical on Reese, which offset.”

It was a huge game for Clark, who ended with 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a triple-double as the Fever won their first game of the season.

Reese, on the other side, scored 12 points with a game-high 17 rebounds.

Angel Reese took exception with the foul.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time D1 scoring leading at Iowa, and Reese finished first and second in WNBA Rookie of the Year voting last season, although Clark received 66 of 67 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Reese, the former LSU star, garnered the lone remaining nod.