Michael Voepel | ESPN

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White went off on the officials for not calling what she deemed two “cheap shots” on star guard Caitlin Clark during Wednesday night’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in Indianapolis, where Clark exited in the second half because of back issues.

White said Wednesday’s game continued a pattern of Clark being officiated differently than the rest of the WNBA players.

“We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots [against her] right there that weren’t called,” White said. “Absolutely unacceptable.”

Clark left the game with 5:15 left in the third quarter and did not return. White said she wasn’t sure if the two plays, which occurred in the second quarter, had any impact on Clark’s health but said they were “egregious.”

With 6:52 left in the second period, Clark drove into the lane and stumbled onto her side after some contact with defender Lexi Held. Held, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas collapsed on Clark in pursuit of the ball. Amid the scramble, Thomas appeared to push her fist into Clark’s neck then got up and stepped over the top of Clark.

“No. 1, you’ve got to call it. It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White said, adding that the officials later told her they didn’t see what Thomas did.

Seconds later, with 6:25 left, Phoenix defender Valeriane Ayayi closed out on Clark’s 3-point attempt and Clark landed on Ayayi’s foot. A foul was called and the play was reviewed, but it was not upgraded as a reckless closeout. Clark made all three free throws.

White said she spoke to the officials at halftime about both plays.

“Yet we still had 11 fouls in the fourth quarter to their two,” White said. “They still shot 24 free throws in the second half.”

Wednesday night marked the second game in three days between these teams in Indianapolis, with both being intense, physical matchups. The Fever won 86-77 on Monday in a game that had six technical fouls and one ejection.

“[The referees] are coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that s— still happens,” White said. “And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed … that wasn’t upgraded. To me that’s like a do-over on a test; how do you screw it up again?

“Absolutely disrespectful. We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. [Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called. The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. … When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating.”

Clark had 19 points and eight assists before leaving. She dealt with back issues earlier this season that forced her to miss a game on May 20.

White was asked about how cautious the Fever need to be about Clark’s back issues.

“We’ve got to be careful. It’s a long season,” White said. “We’ve got to make sure that she’s healthy.”

The Fever (10-8) next play Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Sparks.