The Indiana Fever misplaced 92-71 to the Connecticut Solar within the sold-out first recreation of the season for Clark’s WNBA debut recreation.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA profession formally started on the street with the Indiana Fever’s 92-71 defeat by the hands of the Connecticut Solar within the common season opener in Uncasville, Connecticut.
DeWanna Bonner climbed the all-time scoring record with 20 factors and the Solar took benefit of Clark’s error-prone debut on Tuesday.
Clark, who was chosen with the No. 1 decide after a record-breaking school profession, scored 20 factors and a team-high three assists however dedicated 10 turnovers and 4 fouls. She was 5 of 15 from the ground, together with 4 of 11 from 3-point vary.
“Disenchanted and no person likes to lose, that is simply the best way it’s,” Clark mentioned after the sport.
“You’ll be able to’t beat your self up an excessive amount of for one recreation.”
Clark’s errors included six turnovers on dangerous passes and a roving name. Connecticut scored 29 factors of Indiana’s 25 complete turnovers.
Indiana coach Christie Sides mentioned, “Caitlin was in a position to get some seems, she was in a position to knock them down. Our spacing wasn’t excellent. Connecticut got here and punched us within the mouth tonight. Tomorrow we might be within the fitness center watching a variety of movies making an attempt to determine how to not spin the ball 25 instances.”
Clark linked with Aliyah Boston for an help on the sport’s first possession. However the rookie additionally dedicated two early fouls and sat for a lot of the ultimate 4:51 of the interval.
Clark’s first WNBA basket got here on a layup halfway by the second after an 0-for-4 begin. Her first profession three-pointer was a catch-and-shoot play from the left wing to chop the deficit to single digits with 30.1 seconds left earlier than halftime, however Connecticut lastly took a 49-39 lead into the locker room.
Clark hit a 29-foot 3-pointer and Erica Wheeler added 5 factors because the Fever went on an 8-2 run early within the third quarter to chop their deficit to 53-47. That is the closest they bought, as Bonner and Thomas mixed for the following six factors.
Bonner’s three-point play on the 6:37 mark of the fourth quarter made the rating 75-59 Solar. Clark hit his third 3-pointer on the following possession, however Harris answered with one for Connecticut and the Fever by no means threatened once more.
An unprecedented avalanche of curiosity in girls’s basketball has adopted Clark from her record-breaking collegiate profession at Iowa to the WNBA. The almost 10,000-seat Mohegan Solar Area is offered out for Clark’s debut, and the published will embody participant microphones and cellular cameras for “a WNBA Finals-level manufacturing setup.”
Earlier than the sport, Clark was merely making an attempt to soak within the second.
“That is one thing you labored for and dreamed of, and now it’s a must to put in your jersey for the primary time and exit and play,” Clark mentioned. “…Greater than something, I am prepared for the problem.”
The three-point sharpshooter broke the all-time Division I scoring file for each women and men and led Iowa to the nationwide championship.