WATCH: Indiana's Lexus Bargesser Gets Whistled For Ridiculous Foul Call Against Iowa's Caitlin Clark

Indiana's Lexus Bargesser was whistled for a ridiculous foul call against Iowa's Caitlin Clark in the first quarter of Thursday's Big Ten showdown at Assembly Hall. It might go down as one of the worst calls of the season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Usually, playing on your home court results in a friendly whistle. That wasn't the case for Indiana sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser. Instead Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark got the beneficial call in the first quarter of Thursday's game between the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes.

Late in the opening quarter, Bargesser was tasked with the assignment of defending Clark. The Hoosiers sophomore attempted to take away Clark's space and put pressure on the ball.

Clark lunged into Bargesser, initiating contact. Rather than an offensive foul or a no-call, Bargesser was hit with the whistle. The Hawkeyes went to the free throw line as a result.

Absolutely ridiculous that this was called a foul on Bargesser. My god. #iuwbb

pic.twitter.com/tdAOj711NS

— Kevin Vera (@thekevinvera) February 23, 2024

That's a tough one. Needless to say, the fans at Assembly Hall didn't agree with the call ... like, at all.

Bargesser got the better of Clark to close out the quarter. The sophomore guard hit a bucket as time expired, giving the Hoosiers a 23-22 lead at the end of the first period.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• INDIANA-IOWA LIVE BLOG: Welcome to our live blog for Thursday's game between No. 14 Indiana women's basketball and No. 4 Iowa, where we'll share updates, highlights and thoughts on the game from press row at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA NEEDS MARQUEE WIN VS. IOWA: No. 14 Indiana women's basketball (21-4, 12-3) hosts No. 4 Iowa (23-3, 12-2) Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers' only win against the Hawkeyes in the past six meetings was last season at home. Caitlin Clark is coming off breaking the women's D-I scoring record. CLICK HERE
• HOW TO WATCH INDIANA VS IOWA: The prime-time matchup will air on Peacock. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA-ILLINOIS GAME STORY: Indiana traveled to play Illinois Monday afternoon and lost by 20 points. The Illini used a big second quarter to drive the win. CLICK HERE
• SARA SCALIA BREAKS 3-POINT RECORD: Fifth-year Hoosier guard Sara Scalia made four 3-pointers, which was just enough to break the Indiana single-season record. CLICK HERE