INDIANAPOLIS – As Caitlin Clark walked back onto the floor of her new home and her face appeared on the video board, thousands of people wearing her number 22 applauded one of the most enthusiastic reactions to the night’s game. It was at the end of the third quarter, the Indiana Fever trailed by 23 points and Clark had only scored one basket in the first 90 seconds.
It didn’t matter to a renewed fan base that sold out the home opener against the New York Liberty with a crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It set the third-best regular-season attendance total in franchise history and quadrupled the 2023 average of 4,056, according to data from Across the Timeline.
They cheered when she made free throws and a group of scattered men shouted “Caitlin” during a brief silence during the breaks. Every time she thought about taking a step back while she was behind the arch, her hands began to rise in early celebration.
The buildup wasn’t rewarded until 1:28 into the third quarter when he created separation from reserve rookie forward Leonie Fiebich for the first barrage of what should become a 3-point storm as Clark adjusts to the league and his teammates. They adapt to it.
But that hasn’t happened yet. The challenge of a schedule that includes the top three 2023 MVP contenders within the first 12 days continued to get the better of the Fever on Thursday night. Breanna Stewart, the reigning MVP of the second-closest race in WNBA history, scored 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead New York to a 102-66 victory two days after runner-up Alyssa Thomas opened with a 3-pointer -double in the Connecticut Sun. beat Indiana.
“You don’t win many games in this league by scoring just 66 points,” Indiana head coach Christie Sides said, “but you don’t win many games by giving up 102 either.”
Clark has repeatedly said some variant of “not everything is going to be perfect” over the past few days, and even with flashes of promise, that’s still the case. He had a better impact on the game than his Connecticut debut with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and only three turnovers.
“Things are definitely moving fast,” Clark said before the game. “But that’s how this game goes. So I think the more experience I get, things will slow down.”
Clark’s return in the third gave the Fever a jolt and she scored seven of Indiana’s 10-0 run to pull within 11 of Liberty, the most successful WNBA Finals finalist against two-time champion Las Vegas. Aces. She sandwiched her only 3 between two sets of free throws, the team forced two turnovers, and the building crackled with the most energy since her No. 1 superstar came out for her first appearance at her home.
“It got really loud when we turned it down to 11,” Sides said. “They were yelling defense and that’s exactly what it was. We have to do a better job. “We have to make the fans proud with what we put on the field.”
In the final seconds of the quarter, Clark attempted to slide a pass to NaLyssa Smith on the final play. It was too late for the buzzer to blow and her 3-point attempt after a Courtney Vandersloot turnover failed. Indiana couldn’t get stops, the offense couldn’t keep scoring (5-foot-11 Sabrina Ionescu blocked 6-5 Aliyah Boston at one point) and New York won the fourth quarter, 35-10, while destroying Indiana in almost every way.
Clark was 2-for-8, including 1-for-7 from deep, with five fouls. Not many shots fell in target practice or in the game, and he sometimes put his hands to his head in dismay or disbelief.
“She’s figuring it out,” Sides said. “She just needs to have a little confidence right now. I think she is making some shots that she would normally knock down.”
Some of Clark’s 3-point attempts fell flat and she was constantly chased by Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, one of the league’s best defenders, finishing with a game-high 43 plus-minus. Laney-Hamilton nearly stole some incoming passes and Clark had no room to shoot. The defensive game plan centered around Clark.
“They are making it very difficult for them,” Sides said. “We have to do a better job of finding ways to get him easier, more open looks.”
“Teams are really getting after it, all over the court, 94 feet, so we have to do some things as a unit to flow better with that,” Katie Lou Samuelson said.
Sides’ biggest concern was pride, a word he repeated several times in a six-minute postgame interview, and mental toughness.
“We just have to adopt a little attitude when people score on us,” Sides said. “You can’t let it be so easy and let them do whatever they want with us. “It all comes down to having a little fight, passion (and) toughness.”
Stewart scored with ease, just as Connecticut’s scorers did 48 hours earlier. They were two of the four highest scoring offenses of 2023 and they returned their main pieces. Indiana will play New York again on Saturday in Brooklyn in a quick turnaround (1 p.m., ABC) before facing the Sun for the second time on Monday.
There’s not much time for the Fever to catch their breath after that with Wednesday’s visit to Seattle and Friday night’s visit to the Los Angeles Sparks, a team in rebuilding mode that will give Indiana its best chance at a victory. early. The Fever will play two-time reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and MVP candidate A’ja Wilson on May 25.
Indiana will have to rely on pride and mental toughness, because there is no time to work on it in practice. It’s yet another adjustment a rookie in the WNBA has to make quickly, and Clark is being thrown into high gear with a team that was still in base-building mode when 2023 No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston arrived.
“You have to learn more through previous game film and obviously watching your opponent more than you are on the court practicing and improving,” Clark said. “It’s a lot more mental preparation than probably physical preparation in college.”
The crowd began to filter in with a few minutes on the clock and the starting quintet on the bench. Many of them spent the afternoon shopping for new merchandise at the team store, celebrating the start of the franchise’s 25th anniversary season at the plaza party and then settling into their seats for the first time.
Linda Hutte, wearing a copy of the State Farm jacket made for Clark on her senior day at Iowa, had never seen a women’s basketball game until Clark’s junior year of college. She lives an hour away, but she bought season tickets because: “Man, the girl has it,” she said. “She just draws you in.”
So far he’s done it, both in person and on television, much like he did when he was at Iowa. Clark always said the Hawkeyes attracted the nation’s attention in part because they played a fun brand of basketball.
That’s still a work in progress for Clark and this Fever team who are taking hit after hit with the entire city (and much of the country) watching every hit.
“Overall, we’re going to give the crowd more energy than we did tonight,” said Samuelson, a fifth-year veteran signed in free agency. “I think we can give them as much as they are giving us. “That is something that will never happen again.”