Aliyah Boston Needs Quick Adjustment to WNBA’s Foul Crackdown

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston can't let foul trouble impact her against the Washington Mystics.

Los Angeles Sparks guard Erica Wheeler (17) drives past Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston (7) | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever managed to beat the Los Angeles Sparks on May 13, despite one of the worst games of star center Aliyah Boston's career.

Boston finished with 4 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes played. She didn't have any points in the first half and finished the game without a field goal, which is the first time in her WNBA career that she didn't make a shot in a game.

However, there's little doubt that Boston will get back on track offensively against the Washington Mystics on May 15; that is, if she can stay on the court, because the more concerning aspect of Boston's game against Los Angeles was that she fouled out in just 23 minutes of action.

Dallas Wings center Li Yueru (28) shoots the ball while Indiana Fever center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) defends | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Fever head coach Stephanie White was asked what the Sparks did so well to contain Boston postgame, she said, "You think it was LA? I mean, I think it was foul trouble. I think it was foul trouble. She didn't get a chance, really. And I think it's hard to get into a flow when you're getting called for all those quote-unquote fouls," per a YouTube video from the Fever.

White and Caitlin Clark were then asked about the officiating in the game. White spoke about how she spent a lot of time in the offseason trying to fix the league's much-discussed officiating issues, and that Wednesday's game felt like a regression in that regard.

Aliyah Boston Already Feeling Impact of WNBA’s New Foul Emphasis

Still, while White didn't seem to agree with some of the foul calls on Boston, the reality of this new WNBA is that more fouls will likely get called. And Boston will need to adjust quickly to this if she doesn't want to get caught in more foul trouble.

Stephanie White on Aliyah Boston: "I think it was foul trouble. She didn't get a chance, really. It's hard to get into a flow when you're getting called for all those quote unquote fouls."

— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 14, 2026

Physicality is a key part of Boston's game, as she's one of the WNBA's premier post defenders. But she might need to make some adjustments to this physicality, especially if she's getting called for non-shooting fouls when jockeying for position in the paint.

The good news for the Fever is that Boston is likely to come out firing on Friday night, as she knows better than anybody else that she didn't make a shot against the Sparks.

But perhaps more important than her scoring output is that she keeps out of foul trouble, given that the Mystics have key post players like Kiki Iriafen, Shakira Austin, and Lauren Betts.