The Caitlin Clark era in the WNBA officially started, though it had a slow beginning. For almost the first 15 minutes, Clark didn’t score any points. However, she got more comfortable as the game went on and ended up with 20 points in the Indiana Fever’s 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
She acknowledges that she has room for improvement and things to work on, but she also recognizes that it’s just the beginning of her career.
“It was a physical game, and it wasn’t the best start,” Clark said. “But there’s a lot to learn from it.” Before the game, Clark mentioned that she wouldn’t dwell too much on her performance in her debut.
“If things don’t go perfectly, it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “If we lose tonight, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll learn from it and come back stronger.”
One area Clark wants to focus on is reducing her turnovers. She had 10 of Indiana’s 25 turnovers, many of which were avoidable mistakes. “There were some unusual mistakes, like traveling or dribbling off my foot,” she said. “I need to be sharper in those areas.”
Clark had a tough start as she missed her first four shots before finally scoring midway through the second period. The NCAA’s all-time Division I scoring leader stole the ball near the foul line and drove down the court to make a layup.
Before the game, Clark had predicted that her first basket would likely be a layup because it’s a high-percentage shot.
Later on, she made two free throws and sank a 3-pointer just before halftime, ending the first half with seven points on seven shot attempts.
She continued her strong play into the third quarter, scoring five more points, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Fever.
“We need to support her better, do a better job getting open,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We’ve practiced that a lot this week. We need to improve our movement off the ball.”
Before her first basket, Clark faced some difficulties and got into early foul trouble. Her first shot was a drive to the basket that bounced off the glass and into Aliyah Boston’s hands for a putback.
Clark also missed a runner in the lane, and her 3-pointer from the left wing just missed. Although she did make an assist on one basket and made a clever behind-the-back pass to Boston, she was called for a traveling violation.
During the game, Clark was charged with two fouls while playing defense. The second one prompted loud boos from the packed crowd. When she was introduced before the game, the number one draft pick received a warm ovation from the fans.
Clark had been eagerly anticipating her debut in the WNBA, especially since it was one of four games on the opening night of the league’s 28th season. The New York team, which was the runner-up in the WNBA Finals, managed to come from behind and defeat Washington 85-80 in the first game of the evening.
She spent most of the day at the hotel, waiting anxiously to hit the court with her team, who arrived nearly 2 1/2 hours before the game.
“I can’t wait to get out there and play,” she said. “I’ve had plenty of time to sit and think about it. This is still exciting. This is fun. … There’s just a different energy in the air.”
Even before playing her first WNBA game, Clark has already made an impact in the professional basketball world. The league’s draft drew record viewership, and her No. 22 Indiana Fever jerseys have been selling rapidly. Hundreds of fans were seen wearing Clark jerseys and T-shirts around the arena.
Three WNBA teams have moved their games to larger arenas to accommodate the high demand for tickets to watch Clark play.
Her debut game in Connecticut is completely sold out — marking the first time the Sun have had a sold-out season opener since they played their first game at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2003 after relocating from Orlando.
There’s also a significant media presence, with nearly four times the usual number of credentials issued for this game compared to a typical Sun contest.
