Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever dropped Game 1 of the first-round series of the WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun, 93-69.
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Clark was less than spectacular in her playoff debut, finishing with 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals—while shooting 4-of-17 from the field (2-of-11 from three) with two turnovers.
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Clark and the Fever are now down 0-1 and will look to even the series in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Clark was named the unanimous Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year on Sunday after averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds during the regular season. However, her playoff debut was not ideal. Nonetheless, that’s the beauty of the playoffs: You have a chance to redeem yourself against the same team.
While Clark had a game to forget, Sun guard Marina Mabrey had one heck of a playoff debut. Mabrey scored 27 points off the bench, a WNBA record for the playoffs, connecting on 9-of-20 shots, including 5-of-12 from three.
The dominance from the Sun didn’t stop there. Sun guard/forward Alyssa Thomas turned in her fourth career triple-double in the postseason, recording 12 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. Overall, it was Thomas’ 15th triple-double of her career to help spoil Clark’s playoff debut.
Not only are the Sun the more experienced team compared to the Fever this season, but that’s the case throughout their franchise history.
The Sun came into the contest with 222 playoff games under their belt, while the Fever had just 19, including none among the starters. This was Indiana’s first playoff appearance since 2016.
Clark’s day was not pretty, and it got even worse when Dijonai Carrington poked her in the eye.
Clark was passing the ball when Carrington got her in the face. No foul was called, but by the end of the game, a black eye had developed.
This is how Clark’s face looked when at the podium after the game.
Clark was in for a rude awakening. She did not make a 3-pointer the entire first half and came out of the first 20 minutes with just three points. She was 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range.
She started to recover in the third quarter, making two three-pointers and a layup to bring her total to 11. The Fever will now look to turn the page and move on to Game 2.
The first round of the WNBA playoffs is a best-of-three series, so if the Fever loses Game 2, they will be eliminated from playoff contention.
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