Caitlin Clark only managed to score ten points in her first WNBA game since her Team USA Olympics snub, as the Indiana Fever star played just 22 minutes against the Connecticut Sun on Monday.
Two days after being passed over by the Stars and Stripes at this summer’s Paris Games, Clark, 21, scored her fourth-fewest points of the season, going 3-for-8 from the field and 2-for-8 from the field. 5 from beyond the arc, all in the first half – in Indiana’s 72-89 loss in Montville, Connecticut.
He committed his fourth foul with 4:41 left in the third quarter and did not play in the fourth quarter. Fans in Connecticut chanted ‘We want Caitlin! We want Caitlin!’ in the middle of the room.
Clark notably had the ball stolen near midcourt before the halftime buzzer sounded, while DiJonai Carrington, who scored a season-high 22 points, ran the other way for a layup that just missed the buzzer to give Connecticut a 55-35 lead. Clark also threw a floater while leaving him open in the paint midway through the third.
Connecticut (10-1), which has won three games against Indiana (3-10) this season, has not lost to the Fever since July 3, 2021. The Sun became the second WNBA team this season to reach 10 victories. and the Fever are the second team to lose 10 games.
Caitlin Clark continues to wrestle in the WNBA, even after her omission from the Olympics
Clark, who has helped the league break its attendance and viewership records since being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, broke her silence on her omission from the US Olympic women’s basketball roster. . US on Sunday, insisting that she. We will be “rooting” for the team “to win gold.”
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” she told reporters at Fever practice. “I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way, whether I was on the team or not.
“I’m excited for them, I’ll be rooting for them to win gold.” I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics, it will be fun to watch. …Honestly, I’m not disappointed. I think it just gives you something to work towards. It’s a dream, I hope one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little bit more motivation. You remember it and hopefully, when four years go by, I can be there.”
Clark’s exclusion sparked a flurry of debate, and it was reported that the American team included a number of big hitters, including MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. But her response to not making the cut was praised by fans, who labeled her “elegant.”
The point guard, who is also the all-time NCAA Division I scorer, is averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game so far in her rookie season.
Clark did not play for the entire fourth quarter of Monday’s game due to foul trouble.
Clark, who said he grew up watching the nine-time Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. team, said he was informed before the report became public that he had not made the team.
“They called me and let me know before everything came to light, which was very respectful of them and I appreciated that,” Clark told reporters.
‘They did the same with every girl who made the team and with every girl who didn’t make the team. There are a lot of players in the Olympic group, so it wasn’t like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make quite a few calls.
The six-foot sharpshooter, who scored 30 points in the Fever’s 85-83 win over the Washington Mystics on Friday, said there were advantages to the Olympic break.
“It’s going to be a great month for my body, you know, to rest, recover and get away from basketball a little bit and the craziness of everything that’s been going on,” Clark said.
