Lexie Hull Left Bloodied After Physical Sequence Involving Alyssa Thomas During Fever vs. Mercury Game
Alyssa Thomas found herself in the spotlight for the second straight game between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury. Last time around was the infamous June 24 game that saw Thomas’ fist-to-the-throat foul against Caitlin Clark. The difference this time was that it was a midplay elbow to the nose on Lexie Hull that was reviewed during the game itself.
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Last night’s incident occurred with 8:00 left in the third quarter, with the Phoenix Mercury ahead by six points at the time. Kyle Ingram shared a clip of the specific moment in the play, and Hull dabbing her nose on the sideline.
Aliyah Boston raised her arms to try to stop Valériane Ayayi’s progress to the basket. The Mercury’s No. 11 stumbled, fell to the hardwood, and lost control of the ball. It went through Boston’s legs and reached Thomas, who grabbed it and rose to make a basket. Hull closed Thomas down and tried to tip the ball out of her control. However, as Thomas was rising, her right elbow caught Hull in the face.
Hull fell backward, and Thomas’s attempt hit the board, bounced off the rim, and fell back onto the court. Unlike the Caitlin Clark situation, where the foul went uncalled in real time, this one was actually reviewed by the officials.
As Hull made illegal contact with Thomas before the ball was released and broke her rhythm, it was adjudged as a defensive personal foul. The officials also reviewed the play to gauge whether the elbow was a flagrant foul or contact as part of a legal basketball play.
According to the video, Thomas was moving to shoot the basket and did not at any point look to make intentional contact with Hull. This saw the ruling go in favor of the Mercury player, with the contact judged as a legal basketball play.
As a result, Thomas stepped to the free throw line while Hull headed to the Fever bench, where she continued dabbing her nose with a towel before placing a cotton ball in her nostril to stop the bleeding. The Mercury player made both throws to take the score to 57-49 amid boos and jeers from the crowd at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Hull returned to the floor, but did not contribute a single point after the incident, which seemed to serve as a turning point for the Fever. A minute after the free throws, Thomas scored a two-pointer to give the Mercury a 10-point lead. At this point, the Fever scored 13 straight to take the lead. They ended the third period with a 69-68 lead and went on to clinch a road win.
This was the second time in three games that Alyssa Thomas has been involved in a foul featuring Indiana’s key players. While the Caitlin Clark incident led to online harassment, the reaction to this foul has been tame so far.
However, that doesn’t mean no one reacted to the incident on social media. Kevin Durant’s podcast co-host, Eddie Gonzalez, took a shot at the WNBA’s officiating on X.
“Lexie Hull’s nose just fouled Alyssa Thomas’ elbow,” Gonzalez wrote.
Lexi Hull’s nose just fouled Alyssa Thomas’ elbow
— Eddie Gonzalez (@bansky) July 10, 2026
Kyle Ingram first shared a thought that was similar to Gonzalez’s sentiment that Hull’s nose fouled Thomas’s elbow. He then posted another video on X and wrote, “Lexie Hull is getting beat up…Caitlin Clark sitting out tonight was definitely a good business decision lol.”
That being said, Lexie Hull is no stranger to physical plays. She was on the receiving end of multiple hard plays last year in August. On August 24, 2025, Hull faced a similar foul when Kayla McBride made contact with her elbow to the Fever star’s face.
In the following game, she got two black eyes after clashing heads with Gabby Williams. Yet, none of those hits could keep her out, as was the case with last night’s hit as well.
Whatever the chaos around the Thomas collision, it’s safe to say the Fever had the last word when it mattered most.
