The Sky honcho made the comments in a statement on Monday afternoon ... admitting the body check that Carter laid on Clark during their game Saturday was "not appropriate."

"Nor is it what we do or who we are," she added.

Weatherspoon chalked up the whole ordeal to getting "caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game."

"As a team," Weatherspoon continued, "we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners."

Weatherspoon, who became the Sky's HC last fall, initially didn't have much to say at the press conference following the Fever vs. Sky game over the weekend ... although after speaking with Carter, she clearly felt the need to address it.

No word if Weatherspoon hit Carter with any sort of penalty over it all ... although the WNBA did announce it was upgrading her foul to a flagrant 1.

Meanwhile, Carter's teammate, Angel Reese, was hit with a fine following the game ... although it was for dodging media members -- not cheering on the Clark foul.