Stephanie White divides Fever fans with controversial Caitlin Clark decision vs Tempo

A victory over the Toronto Tempo wasn't enough to spare Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White from some fan criticism .

Returning from the international break, Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever didn't miss a beat, rolling to a 103-85 win over the Toronto Tempo.

Caitlin Clark picked up right where she left off, putting on a clinic in 34 minutes of action. She dropped 28 points, dished out 14 assists, and grabbed six rebounds, completely controlling the pace of the game. And that wasn't all, as Kelsey Mitchell broke the single-season WNBA scoring record with 33.

Stephanie White benches Caitlin Clark with 30 points and 10 assists on the line

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has had her fair share of critics this season, but it can be unwarranted at times – often being used as a scapegoat.

However, a decision during the Fever's win over the Toronto Tempo caused a bit of controversy, as White benched Caitlin Clark when she was two points away from another 30 pt and 10+ assists game.

This caused a complete divide on social media.

One supporter made a very valid point: "She played 34 minutes!! We cannot risk injury before our toughest stretch and playoffs for a measly 2 points."

Another pointed out how many minutes she played: "She played 33 minutes. I don't think she was as thinking about 30 with a game on Sunday."

"No coach in their right mind should risk a star player this close to playoffs to stat pad. Horrible uneducated take." Said one supporter.

On the flip side, some fans weren't too pleased.

Someone claimed that the Fever didn't want to take the shine off Kelsey Mitchell: "I noticed that. My first thought was they want to let Kelsey shine alone on breaking the most points record. Surely, that's not the case."

Another blamed White: "Stephanie loves messing with CC's game. Imagine what Clark could do under the right coach."

"As much as I hate it too, it ain't worth her getting hurt." This fan was split.

It's worth keeping in mind that Clark still logged 34 minutes after being listed as probable with a back issue. Plus, when Stephanie White pulled her late in the fourth, she cleared out the whole bench—it was just a routine line change to sit the starters, not a personal benching.